A Human Monster
by pain17ification
Summary: What makes a monster? Is it how they look? How they act? How they live? Being called one is never a good thing; but it just might be the perfect thing to help a lonely boy find "fellow Monsters" to accept him. See the story of the Human Monster. Naruto/Tionishia
1. Chapter 1: The Fortunate Runaway

**Hey there, authors and readers alike! _*grinning and waving*_**

 **So, over the past few weeks, I've found myself looking into Monster Girls. It all started after I read a FanFiction that had** _ **Naruto**_ **and** _ **Monster Musume**_ **(aka** _ **Daily Life**_ **) as the sources. I found the story enjoyable and looked up some more of the Monster Girls from the series.**

 **However, one in particular stuck out to me. And so, I've decided to make this story featuring this particular Monster Girl paired up with our favorite Knucklehead Ninja.**

 **So, without further ado, here's my attempt at a story with Monster Girls!**

 **Disclaimer:** _ **pain17ification**_ **owns nothing**

* * *

 _A Human Monster_

 _Chapter One: The Fortunate Runaway_

* * *

His heart was hurting…

His cheeks were warm with rolling tears…

His spirit had been crushed…

Sitting on the carved head of the Fourth Hokage was a young boy of ten years. His blue eyes were flowing with tears as he hugged his knees to his chest and released all of his pain. Here, in his solitude, he let his walls drop and the mask that blocked out his pain was left useless to him.

The boy didn't know what made him so despised in his own home village. It just felt like some unspoken rule to him; a rule saying that everyone was to treat him as if he was trash.

 _Monster…_

That's what he was called, day in and day out. He didn't understand what they meant by that. As far as he could tell, he looked human, talked human, and acted human. So, why was he labeled a Monster?

Was it his whisker marks? He tried many times to wipe them away or even hide them, but it only made things worse.

Was it his wild hair? He made attempts to cut it short, but it was a wasted effort. Besides, there were others who had crazier hair than he did.

So, what was it? What made him the _Monster_ of the Hidden Leaf? What gave them the right to give him such a hurtful label?

He didn't know. For the life of him, Naruto Uzumaki did not know.

And it was his lack of knowing that made the pain he felt all the more unbearable.

Although, there was a small glimpse of light in his darkness. Two people treated him like any other person; showing him kindness and helping him smile. Truly, the father and daughter duo of ramen chefs held a special place in his heart.

No one else treated him like they did. The best they did was ignore him, and the worst they did was call him _that_ word.

By the kami, he did not like that word. It made him feel like he had no identity; like his name didn't exist.

Wiping his eyes, he stared down at the village lit up only by the lights of homes and streets. His brows furrowed as he heard the faint echoes of joy that came from the villagers. It bothered him to hear that, and made him clench his fists angrily.

Who were they to have fun while bringing him down? What made them so special, so self-righteous that they felt they could dictate his life?

Standing up, he glared at the village below; his mind made up after weeks of indecision. He turned away and made his way down the steps from the mountaintop. It was time to stop hesitating and take action.

It was time to disappear.

* * *

After making sure not to be seen – thanks to years of memorizing the streets and hiding from the higherups after a prank – Naruto entered his apartment and moved to his bedroom. With some effort, he slid his entire bed to the side and revealed a loose floorboard; his makeshift "safe".

Lifting the board, he reached in and pulled out a rucksack that had a strap sewn onto it. He reached in again and pulled out a folded piece of paper that held the names "Teuchi and Ayame" on it.

With sad determination, he put the paper into the pocket of his black pants before shedding the white T-shirt he wore in exchange for the long-sleeved orange one that had his red spiral on the back; a gift from Ayame for his tenth birthday. He placed his gift from Teuchi – a pair of goggles with a large elastic band to hold them in place – on his forehead before he left his apartment once again…for the last time.

He snuck through the alleyways and backstreets, avoiding any kind of detection as he made his way to the closed ramen stand. Once there, he took a moment to stare at the place with misty eyes. This was his sanctuary; one that had nothing to do with his favorite food in the world. No, this place was a sanctuary because it was where the two people he cherished most made their living.

Part of him knew that their business would be much better if he had stopped frequenting; but the two chefs never turned him away. Instead, they always welcomed him and treated him as one of their own.

He took a breath and nodded to himself. No backing down now.

Moving to the back, he slid the paper beneath the crack in the door and smiled sadly. "Goodbye…" he bid softly before heading to his next location.

Having memorized the best routes of the village, Naruto knew of plenty of the secret passages and shortcuts that hadn't been used since the Great Ninja War era. They had been made in the event that enemy forces had broken through the gates and ninja needed to travel with stealth and speed.

One such secret passage had an exit that was just outside the village walls; which was exactly what he needed to leave the place. Arriving at the abandoned Uchiha Compound, he moved through the empty walkways and headed for the northernmost part of the compound. Spotting the thick bushes that grew some rather delicious berries, he grinned at how close he was to getting out. Pulling out a plastic bag from his rucksack, he filled it with as much berries as he could before pushing his way through the bushes.

There, hidden by the thick foliage, was a trapdoor with a metal ring handle. He pulled it open as quietly as he could, knowing that he shouldn't let his guard down no matter what. He lowered his pack first before easing himself inside and gently easing the door shut. He winced when the old hinge gave a faint squeak and waited with a racing heart for hell to break loose.

…

…

…

He sighed quietly when nothing happened after minutes of waiting. With that settled, he grabbed his pack and crawled through the secret passage. Due to his smaller stature, it was easier to move through the tunnel; but he figured that most ninja used the Transformation Jutsu to become something small enough to race through it with ease.

He fought back a pout at not knowing any jutsu at all. The last thing chakra related that the Academy went over was how to focus your chakra and gather it. they were supposed to go over the first jutsu next month; but he couldn't wait for that day to come.

Not when he felt himself getting closer to breaking apart with each passing day in this place.

After what felt like hours thanks to not being able to see outside, he reached the end of the tunnel and kicked out the old planks that blocked off the exit. On the other side of the planks were more thick bushes that were tall and wide enough to fully obscure the tunnel's entrance/exit from outside view.

Taking a breath, he looked behind him and had to look straight up to see the full height of the outer wall of the Hidden Leaf. A smile broke onto his face, and he relished on his successful exit. He would've gave a small cheer, but he knew he wasn't out of the woods yet. He needed to make some solid distance between himself and the village before anyone noticed that he was gone.

Shouldering his pack, he started to make his way north. If he could make it past the borders of the Land of Fire, then he would be in the clear.

He had to move, and fast.

* * *

" _The boy is heading north, sir,"_ a voice spoke up in an earpiece, making the elderly man wearing it hum in acknowledgement. _"Shall we apprehend him?"_

"No," the man answered. "Keep tabs on him and help him along discreetly. However, don't let him get past the border."

" _Yes, sir,"_ the operative replied before cutting the connection.

Turning to the lone operative in the room with him, the man ordered, "Keep me posted on any reports concerning the boy. And make sure that those following him keep him alive. No sense in losing our Jinchūriki."

"Yes, Lord Danzo," the subordinate stated before leaving to deliver his master's orders.

Left alone, Danzo Shimura mused the benefits and setbacks that his decision could have. He knew that the treatment received by the Jinchūriki would've resulted in one of three possible scenarios; though he honestly thought that the boy would've chosen to respond much like his spitfire mother would've.

The scenarios were either hatred for the village, striving to prove them wrong, or attempting to leave. Tonight proved that the third one was what the boy had chosen in response to such blatant hatred.

While he would've wanted to snatch the boy for his ROOT Program right away, he knew that it was too much of a risk. He needed to wait for Sarutobi and the Ninja Council to be aware of the boy's absence and his innocence of the matter before making his move.

The benefits of this were getting his old rival to be seen in a negative light by being so irresponsible with the boy's well-being. Villagers, ninja, and even the Daimyo would lose trust in his judgment and would soon call for a replacement Hokage to be chosen. This is when Danzo would step in and either nominate himself or someone he could manipulate so that he still held "de facto" powers.

The downsides of this, however, was that the boy's chances outside the village were low. He had no training except for how to call on his chakra and his self-taught stealth; which Danzo was admittedly impressed with. Unless the boy had the luck of the kami in his corner, he wouldn't last long before something out of his control happened to him.

So, he needed to be patient, but also be _very_ aware of the boy's whereabouts and condition at all times. If something happened to him and his men were unable to handle it, then the Kyuubi was lost to the village. He couldn't have their weapon lost to them; he wouldn't.

* * *

Sleeping outside wasn't exactly a first for Naruto; but sleeping alone in the forest _was_. He only had an old blanket and his clothes to keep him warm, but it was still very cold and he had trouble sleeping.

He wished he knew how to make a fire and that he had some hunting knowledge to utilize. The ration bars that he had were unappetizing at best. Already, he missed the warm broth that came with his favorite food, joined by the warmth that he felt in his heart when being around the Ichiraku family.

He sighed as he kept walking, still covering himself with his blanket since the morning fog left him chilly. He was starting to have doubts about his chances now. Running away sounded like such a solid plan in his head; but actually following through with it was a whole other story.

Spotting a sign in the road, he walked up to it and read what it said. "Otafuku Gai; one mile…" He sighed again, but this time it was full of relief. "Thank the kami… I could get some real food and hopefully some better supplies." Pulling out his stuffed walled from his rucksack, he mentally counted the money he had on hand; though he was concerned that the town could be just as screwed up with their pricings just like the Hidden Leaf was whenever he tried to conduct business.

Deciding to not dwell on the _possible_ negatives, he resumed his trek with a more upbeat attitude. Just the thought of better food made him smile brightly as he decided to try and save time by cutting through the woods. With any luck, he'd cut the time taken to get to the town in half.

 ** _*crack*_**

"…Eh?" was all he got to say before the ground beneath him caved and he sank into a hole with a surprised shout.

Unseen by him, two masked men jumped out of their hidden positions to check on the boy's condition. Unfortunately for them, the hole caused by the boy stepping on weak earth had been covered by debris and dirt.

Turning to his partner, one of them asked, "Are you familiar with any Earth Style jutsu?"

"Negative. I'm a Fire Style user," was the response.

"This was unexpected. We need to get to the boy quickly, or else we may lose his trail."

"What could've caused the ground to be so weak?"

"Most likely answer is tunneling beneath the earth, but it's unclear as to _why_ there was tunneling in this location." He gave a sharp whistle, calling forth a messenger hawk as he wrote a quick message to his master. "Deliver this to Lord Danzo quickly." Once the hawk took off, he ordered his partner, "Let's get digging. We need to be quick about it."

"Agreed," the other ROOT operative replied before both of them started digging as fast as they could.

* * *

Groaning in slight pain at the sudden landing, Naruto rolled onto his back and slowly sat up. He hissed in pain, grabbing his legs since they hit the ground first before the rest of his body.

"Damn, that hurt," he groused, glaring at the pile of dirt and rock that had been made. It blocked off the hole and he could barely see anything. "At least there were these things in here," mused the boy, looking at the glowing insects that floated around him. Holding out a finger, he gave a small smile when one of the bugs landed on it. "Hey there," he greeted. "Think you and your friends could show me the way out of this place?"

It was a silly notion – asking a bug for help – but his options were limited. Besides, he knew that the Aburame Clan used bugs and communicated with them regularly. Maybe he would get lucky with these glowing ones.

To his surprise the bugs began to circle him for a moment before they started moving down the hallway he was in. Thanks to their light, he saw that it was the only way he could go; unless he decided to dig around in the pile and try to climb back out. So, he chose to follow them and see what the strange underground place had in store for him.

Part of him felt some excitement creeping up his spine. He had always wondered what kind of adventures he could have outside of the Leaf, and now he was making his own adventure. It was an uplifting thought that made the fear he felt subside momentarily.

Such was the optimistic nature of a child.

At some point, he reached a four-way crossroad. It was hard to decide on a path to take, so he just went with the one on his immediate left. Compared to the others, it didn't smell so bad, and he remembered the Inuzuka boy in his class mentioning to _always follow your nose_. Hopefully, such a philosophy would prove beneficial to the blonde Uzumaki.

Entering a large room, he saw that it had two sets of large tables that looked to be the size of the desks that Academy Teachers had. There were also shelves stacked with scrolls and books covering every available inch of the walls in the room; save for the openings that led to hallways. Along with the opening he came from, there was only one other entrance/exit in the room.

One of the glowing bugs floated in front of his face, touching him on the nose before moving to an open spot on the wall. He couldn't really see all that well, but it touched something before a torch was set aflame, lighting up the room even more for him.

Although, he paled when he realized that these bugs were able to set things on fire and could've burnt him alive if they felt so inclined to.

Grabbing the torch, he moved to the other ones that were set into posts in the walls and lit them as well. With the room fully lit, he saw that the desk tables were stacked with dusty papers and empty glasses. There were also odd looking devices that looked like they were meant for seeing into on the tables. On a set of wheels was a roving chalkboard that had some very complex writing and equations on it.

It hurt his head to just _try_ reading what was on there.

Ignoring the tables and chalkboard, Naruto looked over the book covers and scrolls that filled the shelves. He had hopes that something in the room would be of use to him. This proved to be true when he saw a book on chakra and another on something called fuinjutsu; which he remembered was what the sealing arts were called during one of his old lessons.

He set the books on one of the tables before returning to the shelves. Moving through them all, he only picked out a scroll that was partially labeled with "Jutsu" on it. The word before it had been made unreadable with the passage of time, so he decided to take a look at it himself. He then made his way to the last shelf of the room, his eyes roaming over the titles of the books from the top shelf to the bottom.

He frowned when he saw nothing, but the frown vanished when he saw a certain word on one of the last books on the bottom shelf.

 _Monsters_

He frowned again at this, being reminded of what the villagers so hatefully called him back in the Leaf. He almost turned away from the book, but a part of him made him stay rooted. Indecisiveness took over for quite some time before he decided to just grab the book and take it with him.

Now with three books and a jutsu scroll, he looked for something to carry them all in since his rucksack wasn't exactly spacious. Seeing nothing resembling a bag or carry-on, he decided to make his own. He grabbed one of the white coats that was hung on the chalkboard and placed the books on it before wrapping them with the coat; making the sleeves act as a makeshift strap to hang on his shoulder.

Nodding to himself proudly, he decided to move on. He grabbed one of the torches and made his way down the other hallway. He was relieved to see that the glowing bugs hadn't left his side throughout his time in the room. It made him feel safer and not so alone.

The path made him take a couple of turns before he found himself at a T-shaped crossroad with him entering on the "right" side of the "T". He took a moment to smell both paths, but they gave off the same odorless feature. He sighed before going down the "bottom" path of the "T", hoping to find something useful; or at least an exit.

He found out that the path led to a wide room that was filled was various weapons and tools that ninja used. It also had clothes, armor, and some cots to sleep in.

"Must be an armory," mused the Uzumaki, moving over to the clothes and armor.

He took some time to find some articles in his size; which was difficult since he was rather small due to his age. Luck was still with him since he found some chain mesh that was just a bit bigger than he was; meaning that he could grow into it over time. He took off his orange shirt before putting the mesh on and then replacing his shirt.

The other clothes he grabbed were an extra pair of pants (these being an ashy gray color), and a tan tunic that had a Yin-Yang symbol on the front and back. The tunic was sleeveless and draped over his crotch and backside areas. For color, it was red with a black outline. (1)

He made some practice movements with his new clothing additions before smiling at how they didn't impede anything. Nodding in satisfaction, he grabbed an extra shirt (a red one) before putting it and the extra pants he grabbed into his rucksack. He then moved onto the weapons.

Spotting an empty ninja pouch, he took it and started to fill it up with some shuriken and kunai. He also grabbed some ninja wire – knowing that it was very useful – and a jar of reddish pills. Thanks to the Akamichi boy in his class, he knew that they were food pills and could help him in a pinch.

Satisfied with his find, he made to leave but stopped when he saw something hidden behind a rack of swords and windmill shuriken. Moving to get a better look, he saw that it was a weapon that was taller than he was; the handle tip being over three heads taller than him. It had a gourd shape to it that he recognized as a traditional "spirit tree" formation; thanks to a weapon book he looked at in a local weapons shop in the village.

The weapon was a creamy white color with red comma-styled markings near the bottommost curve and dark purple bordering its edges. The handle was wrapped in white bandages and had a chain attacked to the tip, which led to a small curved blade that had its own handle on it. It looked like an amazing weapon to him and he decided that, since no one was around to claim it, he would take it with him. (2)

However, he knew that it would be hard to travel with a weapon that was bigger than he was. This made him frown in frustration as he tried to figure out what to do. He took a moment to think, sitting down cross-legged and cross-armed as he pondered what to do.

Suddenly, a memory came to him from a time when he was called to see the Hokage. He remembered the man pulled something out of a scroll with a handseal and a puff of smoke before returning it to the scroll in a similar manner.

"That had to have been a seal!" he realized before grabbing the lab coat bag he had made and pulling out the fuinjutsu book. Flipping through pages, he tried to find something to help him out before finding it on her third skim-through. "Here we go; a Storage Seal. It's pretty basic, but it'll work."

Setting down his belongings next to the weapon behind the racks, so as to keep them out of sight, he hurried back to the room with the shelves before looking for something to write with and write on. It took a moment, but he found a blank piece of paper and a pen that still had some ink in it before running back to the armory.

Having the fuinjutsu book open on the page with the Storage Seal diagram on it, he carefully copied the design onto the paper before he decided to do a quick test. He grabbed a random shuriken and set it on the seal before making a half ran seal and focusing his chakra like he was taught at the Academy.

"Seal!" he declared, making the paper light up before it made a puff of smoke and the shuriken was gone. He sighed in relief at the success before testing if it would let him take it back out. It took a few tries, since the seal was a bit shaky thanks to writing on the rough ground; but he was able to successfully unseal the shuriken from the paper. "Good, it works. Now, I can seal that thing and maybe the books too."

He grinned at his successfully made seal before placing both the weapon and the lab-coat-wrapped books on the paper tag. With another burst of chakra, he was able to seal them all into the paper, which he carefully folded and placed in his pants pocket.

"Alright, now let's see if I can find a way out of this weird place," he mused aloud before returning to the "T" crossroad and taking the "left" path.

It felt like he was trapped in a maze with all of the turns and crossroads he found himself moving through, but after around an hour he saw a set of stairs leading upwards and rushed up them. Once at the top, he struggled to push open the "door" made off moss-covered wood and found himself exiting a hollowed-out tree that was covered with thick green moss and vines. He pushed the "door" back closed and took note of his surroundings. He was deep in the forest from what he could tell, but he saw a dirt road a fair distance away from his location.

Sighing in relief, he rushed over to the path and saw that he was on a hill that was high enough to see a town below. A sign was nailed to a tree beside him, and it showed that he was staring at Otafuku Gai. He laughed at his fortune, offering thanks to the kami for being so helpful to him, before he made his way to the town.

Things were really looking up for the blonde "Monster" of the Hidden Leaf.

* * *

 **1~ If someone could draw Naruto in this outfit I've given him, I would GREATLY appreciate it!**

 **2~ That's right; it's Madara Uchiha's gunbai war fan! But how did it end up in one of the White Snake's abandoned bases?** _ ***winks***_

 **Tada! Here's the first chapter for you guys! I hope you all like it and are eager to see how this all plays out!**

 **Now, I've already decided on the pairing for this (which you could easily see in the list of major characters). However, I'm on the fence about leaving it strictly one girl. I want to leave it that way, but I** _ **might**_ **add just one more to the pairing.**

 **Give me your thoughts on this please! And please give me some honest feedback! I would greatly appreciate it; but PLEASE no flames!**

 **REMINDER: Keep a lookout for my _Naruto/Bleach_ crossover coming this Christmas! It features Naruto paired up with Orihime-chan!**

 **Hope you all have Happy Holidays, everyone!**

 **Until next time!**

 _ **~ pain17ification ~**_


	2. Chapter 2: Mr 8 meets Little 9

**Tada! I'm back with another chapter!**

 **I just wanted to say now that I have decided to leave this story as a single pairing between Naruto and Tionishia! I repeat; this is a SINGLE PAIRING STORY!**

 **So, please do NOT offer anymore suggestions for Monster Girls for Naruto. You'll be wasting your time.**

 _ ***polite bow***_ **Thank you.**

 **Disclaimer:** _ **pain17ification**_ **owns nothing**

* * *

 _A Human Monster_

 _Chapter Two: Mr. 8 meets Little 9_

* * *

Otafuku Gai was a new environment for young Naruto. It had lots of gambling houses, a large open-air market, and other places he had never really seen back in the Hidden Leaf. The people in the small town were also _much_ friendlier than the villagers were to him.

Whereas back home he would've been looked upon with scorn, here he was treated like a regular person. It helped him relax and see that not everyone was as cruel as the people back in the Leaf. He refused to call it _home_ because that was a place where someone felt welcome and safe.

As far as the young blonde was concerned, he had no home at the present time; but he hoped to find one in the future. For now, he wanted to find a place to rest and look over what he had found in that abandoned bunker base. The two books and old scroll he found still needed to be read; especially if he wanted to have any real chance of surviving on the road.

Plus, there was that Monster book he found himself strangely curious about.

So, he looked for a simple hotel building and paid for one night. He was nervous when the clerk gave him a concerned look (most likely due to him being a young boy out on his own), but when he presented the man with enough money for the nigh – along with a nice tip – he dropped the concern.

Now alone in his room, he set his things on his bed and immediately opened the text that concerned chakra. If he wanted to study fuinjutsu and try to use the unknown jutsu in that scroll, he'd need to know everything he could about the energy of both ninja and the world.

* * *

The following morning in the Hidden Leaf saw Ayame Ichiraku opening up the backdoor of her father's ramen shop. She was a young woman of 14 with a beauty to her that could rival some kunoichi her own age. The girl was kind and honest, having come to be one of two people that had the full trust of the village's pariah.

As soon as she had unlocked and opened the door, the morning light stretched into the shop and highlighted a folded paper that had her name on it, as well as her father's. Curious – especially with the rather sloppy handwriting that reminded her of Naruto's – she picked up the letter and pocketed it before doing her routine startup of the shop's stoves and cooking appliances. She did her job of taking stock and preparing necessary ingredients before finally taking time to check out what had been written to her and her father.

Opening it up, she began reading. And where there was once a calm, everyday smile on her face slowly shifted into one of confusion, then concern, and then terrified. Ignoring everything else, she quickly ran to her father and almost shoved the letter into his hands, all the while fighting the tears that threatened to fall.

Teuchi, who had rarely seen his daughter cry, was immediately concerned and began to read the letter himself.

 _Dear Pops and Ayame-nee,_

 _I had hoped that you would never have to read this letter, because it means that I'm no longer in the village. I wish I could've told you both before, but things have become too much to handle for me here. So, I've decided to leave and try to find somewhere I could call "home" and not have to be seen as a monster._

 _I just wanted you both to know that I'll always remember you, and that I will never forget everything you both have done for me over the years. You treated me like a person, gave me an ear to listen and a shoulder to cry on, and never once looked at me like the villagers do. If there were any regrets I would have about leaving, it would be that I won't be able to see you guys again and be somewhere I felt accepted._

 _I can only hope that we'll see one another again in the future. Maybe then, I'll have the strength to stand up against the village's hatred of me._

 _Until that day,_

 _Naruto Uzumaki_

He gripped the letter tightly as he finished reading, clenching his free hand as it trembled with suppressed anger and sadness. Normally, Teuchi was a calm man who treated anyone he could with respect. But now, he was furious with what his home had done to a young boy who was only a victim of circumstance, and he was saddened that the boy believed his only option was to run.

Turning to his daughter, he saw that she was sobbing as she buried her face against her knees, her back pressed against the back of the counter where they served their source of income. He stopped his trembling and eased her back onto her feet, immediately bringing her into a warm embrace that she latched onto. He wasn't concerned about her tears staining his uniform or that they should be preparing a batch of ramen for the upcoming lunch rush.

No, all that he was concerned about was his daughter and how heartbroken she was about Naruto's leaving. To her, and to him, it felt like they had lost another member of their family. The man had lost his wife years ago to an illness and the pain was still there; but losing someone he easily saw as a potential son resurfaced that pain and amplified it.

 _'Naruto,'_ the man thought as he comforted Ayame, _'you better be safe out there. And you'd better come back one day.'_ He looked down at his daughter with sadness as he finished his thoughts. _'You mean more to us than you realize.'_

* * *

The same day the Ichiraku family read his letter, Naruto was in the middle of performing a basic chakra channeling exercise that was illustrated in his book. He sat cross-legged on his bed, hands rested in his lap as he focused on his chakra core and tried to move the energy through his body.

He had been at it for close to an hour now, and he felt that he had gotten a good handle on the exercise. So, he moved onto the next subject, which was handseals. The book showed drawings for how each seal went and he slowly practiced each one in a sequence so that he could commit them to memory. This step went by faster than the first since it was all about muscle memory; something he excelled in.

All through the morning, he went through early exercises of chakra before he stopped for lunch and headed into town. His wallet was getting pretty light already since he had left the Leaf, and he knew he would have to be careful on what he ate in case he needed to pay for another night at the hotel.

"Aw man, that's whack, bro!" a voice exclaimed, catching his attention. "Nothing but a 3 and a Jack, yo…"

He turned to see a tall man with dark skin seated at an outdoor gambling table, grumbling in annoyance as he threw down two playing cards and had his money taken. He ore oval shaped sunglasses and a white headband with the Hidden Cloud insignia on its metal plate. The cloth was closely matched in shade by his hair, which was a whitish-blonde that looked predominantly white. Over his chest, he wore a flak jacket that only had a single strap that rested over his left side. A long, red rope belt was tied around his waist while he also wore hand and shin guards, shinobi sandals, and a white scarf around his neck. Finishing off his look were the seven swords that were strapped onto his back, each with red wrappings over the handles.

The small blonde stepped up to the older man and looked down at the gambling table. "Whatcha playing, old man?" he asked, getting the Cloud ninja's attention.

The man rose a brow while, sealed within him, the Hachibi made a grunt of curiosity. _**"Odd… What's a Jinchūriki doing in a town like this all alone?"**_

 _'Gyūki, my bro! What makes you think this kid's all alone?'_ the man asked, still rapping even in his mind.

 _ **"Usually Jinchūriki his age are accompanied by a handler or caretaker of sorts,"**_ Gyūki explained. _ **"He doesn't have anyone following him or looking out for him by the look of things."**_

 _'Which one does he hold inside? Is it more or less than the tails you pride?'_

 _ **"** **He holds the strongest of us all, Bee."**_

Bee hummed in thought and returned his focus back to the outside, where not even ten seconds had passed during his chat. He gave the young blonde a smirk and waved an arm to the table. "Listen up now, yo," he began. "What I'm playing is called Poker, y'know. It's a game that tests your luck, see? That is your answer from the great Killer Bee."

The Uzumaki frowned as he went over the man's rap, crossing his arms as he processed it. "So…it's a card game about how lucky you are?"

Bee chuckled at the simplicity and just nodded. "Tell ya what, kid. Why don't you give a try, ya dig?"

Naruto looked surprised at that before shrugging. "Okay, then," he replied as he took a seat.

Bee threw in the money needed for Naruto to play a hand, and the dealer had an amused look on his face as he shuffled and dealt the hands. When Naruto held up his two cards, Bee was interested to see that he had the King and Jack of Spades. The first three cards (the Flop) held the Ace of Spades, a 2 of Diamonds, and a 5 of Clubs.

Raises to the pot were made, so Bee matched them since he felt Naruto had a good start so far. The fourth card (the Turn) was shown, and it was the Queen of Spades. This surprised the Hachibi Jinchūriki and he quickly matched the raised pot from the other players, prompting the dealer to place the fifth and final card down (the River).

And lo and behold, there was the 10 of Spades!

 _'No way is this just Beginner's luck! A Royal Flush to start is crazy as fuck!'_ Bee thought in surprise.

One of the other players folded, leaving just Naruto and the other player. Both presented their hands and Naruto was the obvious winner due to having an unbeatable hand. The pot won was a nice amount for him; even with Bee taking a cut for spotting the boy's entry fee.

The young blonde grinned at how stuffed his toad wallet now was, knowing he could now get a nice meal and have enough left over for a second night at the hotel. "That was fun!" he cheered as he walked off with Killer Bee. "Hey mister, thanks for letting me play!"

"Ah, don't sweat it, bro," the man waved off. "You got the Devil's luck though; for sho'!" This made Naruto grin bashfully and rub the back of his head sheepishly. "So, what's your story? You seeing the world, getting fame and glory?"

The boy's grin fell and he averted his gaze as thoughts of the Leaf surfaced in his mind. "…I ran away," he answered. "I left my village because I was hated by almost everyone."

 _ **"** **Typical humans; blaming the hosts and seeing them for us Bijuu,"**_ Gyūki commented with a shake of his head. _**"And considering the story about my brother and the Hidden Leaf years ago, the hatred for this kid is no doubt staggering."**_

"Oh, so you got tired of all the hate, so you decided to walk out the gate. The pain inside was too much to bear, so you left because you felt no one would care."

"Well…not _everyone_ was hateful," argued the boy softly. "I had two people I trusted back there, and I left them a letter the night I ran away." He turned around and looked towards the direction of the Hidden Leaf, whispering aloud, "I hope they got it…"

Bee frowned at that, knowing that it must have been hard on the kid to leave those two behind. "So, what's your plan, little man?"

Naruto kept staring off towards the Leaf for a moment before he turned around and gave Bee a determined look. "I'm going to get stronger and find a place where I belong; a place where I'm not seen as a monster but as a person. And then, I'm going to find other _monsters_ that feel like I do and give them a home." He clenched his fist, knuckles popping at the force he put into it. "I'm going to help them see that they're not alone like I thought I was. I'll be the friend they can count on and protect them with everything I've got."

Bee rose a brow at that, impressed with the goal the kid set for himself. Gyūki was also impressed, not seeing that kind of determination be born from pain and sadness that often. The last person he saw that happen with was the man he was sealed into and partnered with.

 _ **"** **Bee,"**_ he spoke up, getting the man's attention. _**"What do you say we help give this kid a head start?"**_

Killer Bee smirked at that as he replied, _'I can dig that, Gyūki. You had the same thoughts as me.'_

 _ **"** **Alright then. But first, I need to have a chat with my stubborn brother. So, open up a connection for me, will ya?"**_

The Cloud ninja nodded in understanding and held out his fist to the younger Jinchūriki. "Alright then, yo! I'll help ya get ready to go!" Naruto looked surprised at this and Bee continued, "But the goal you've made won't be easy, see? So, to kick things off, bump your fist with the great Killer Bee."

Naruto blinked at that. "Bump fists?"

"That's what I said, little man! So, bump my fist and we can start your plan!" urged the man, making Naruto stare at his hand in thought. After a moment, he slowly raised his smaller fist and raised it up to meet Bee's.

And once it did, everything went white.

* * *

"So, you mean to tell me that Naruto has been missing since last evening," began the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, "and I'm only hearing about it in the afternoon _today_?"

The ANBU knelt before him tensed at the man's tone. It was obvious that the village leader was angry. "Yes, sir," the ANBU answered. "We watched him take the back alleyways home late last night and assumed he was turning in for the evening. However, when he didn't show up at the school, and wasn't spotted attempting another prank of his, we grew concerned and started searching." The special operative bowed their head lower. "We couldn't locate him, sir."

Hiruzen frowned deeply at this. "Gather some search teams and find him! If another village gets their hands on him, then there's no telling what could happen! GO!"

The ANBU disappeared in an instant at the order, leaving the Hokage to sag in his seat and rub his forehead in frustration. He had no idea that the son of his late successor was missing, and there were no signs from his ANBU that anyone was planning on doing anything to the boy.

He was lost in his thoughts enough to not notice the door to his office open up. It wasn't until a familiar voice made a comment that he noticed. "I take it something has happened?"

Looking up, Sarutobi saw that it was Danzo who had spoken, making him frown internally at his timing. "Yes… It would seem that young Naruto is missing, and has been since last night, most likely."

"Is that so? That's disconcerting, to be sure." The man took a seat opposite to the Hokage. "What have you done about it?"

"I've ordered ANBU to send out search teams. Naruto couldn't have gotten far, so that means he's still somewhere in the Land of Fire. They'll find him."

"Confident, are you?" challenged Danzo, making Hiruzen raise a brow.

"Shouldn't I be?"

"Well, considering how impressive the boy's stealth skills are – seeing as he's even managed to make fools of some of your ANBU – I wouldn't be surprised if he managed to evade capture."

"Capture?" repeated the Hokage. "You make it seem as if he-"

"Ran away?" cut off the bandaged man, raising his sole brow. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm suggesting. Think about it, Hiruzen; the boy has no real ties to this village. At best, the only people who he could have even a modicum of a connection with would be those two ramen chefs that he's seen talking to every day." His lone eye narrowed as he added, "Have you spoken to them at all about the boy's disappearance? If I were in his place and left this village, I would've taken time to leave them a message."

Sarutobi frowned at that, not enjoying how Danzo was pointing out obvious facts that he should've noticed on his own. Frown in place, he summoned one of his personal ANBU guards and had them bring the Ichiraku family to his office. It took a moment before they arrived in a plume of smoke, disorienting them since they weren't used to ninja styled travel.

"Ichiraku-san," began the Hokage, noting that both of them had depressed auras about them, "I was hoping you could help me figure out something?"

"Yes, Lord Hokage?" Teuchi replied.

"Do you have any idea where Naruto Uzumaki is?"

Both Ichiraku tensed at that and Ayame looked ready to shed tears again. Teuchi was quick to place a hand on his daughter's shoulder as he answered, "No, sir. We don't know where he is."

"He's missing, and I'm trying to figure out if he was taken or if he has run away. If you know anything, I need you to tell me," pressed the Hokage.

Teuchi looked to his village's leader and met his stare for a few moments before he sighed and reached into his uniform pocket, pulling out the letter from Naruto. "…He left us this," he set the letter on the Hokage's desk, "last night before he ran away. It explains why he left, but he wasn't specific on where he was going."

Hiruzen read through the letter and sighed in disappointment. "I see… Well, if anything comes up during our search for him-"

He was cut off by Ayame, who had angry tears rolling down her cheeks. "Why didn't you do anything for him?!" she yelled, catching the elderly man by surprise. "Why couldn't you have told the village that he's a hero for keeping the fox at bay?!"

"Ayame!" Teuchi cried out in shock, worried that his daughter will cross the line and be punished.

But she didn't care as she continued, "You're supposed to be the leader of the village, and that means _everyone_ inside its walls! So why?!" More tears fell and her voice started to break. "Why was Naruto-kun… Why was he treated like a monster when he didn't ask to be a Jinchūriki?! You could've kept it a secret from us and he could've been happy!" Her tears blurred her vision, and she wiped them away with her sleeve as she finished, "The village doesn't deserve someone like him…"

Her sobs overtook her and she leaned into her father for support while the man looked to the Hokage, his face sending an unspoken request for forgiveness for his daughter's outburst. Danzo, who had remained silent, only sent his old rival a knowing glance; almost rubbing it in on how he was right earlier.

Sarutobi sighed once again and let them leave, not even thinking of punishing Ayame for her words and for speaking of the Kyuubi. After all, she had been alive – though young – during his announcement of Naruto's status, and there was little doubt that Teuchi and his late wife had been forced to explain it to her. Besides, she wasn't telling anyone who didn't already know about it; so, she didn't technically break any law.

"So, what will you do now, Hiruzen?" Danzo asked after a moment of silence. "It's clear to see that the boy has run off, and he will no doubt try to keep anyone from bringing him back to the village." He narrowed his eye at him and added, "If he makes it across any of our country's borders, then we've lost him completely."

"I know that, Danzo! I don't need you to tell me what will happen should they not find him!" yelled the Hokage in frustration. "Instead of telling me obvious facts, have some of your _personal guards_ help out in the search!"

Danzo frowned at this, knowing that Sarutobi was hinting that he knew ROOT was still active. He couldn't say anything to counter it since he didn't actually make note of it, so he just stood up and left the room; not giving the Hokage a bow as he left.

Hiruzen, still frustrated with the whole situation, decided that now was the perfect time to pull out his pipe. He needed something to calm his nerves.

* * *

Blue eyes were wide in awe as Naruto stared at the vast expanse of white and gold that surrounded him. Standing in front of him was Killer Bee, but a huge creature with eight tentacles and a bull's head was seen behind the man. The octopus-bull also had humanoid forelimbs and even hands, which made it all the more interesting to the young Uzumaki.

He was about to speak up, but a low growl behind him made him freeze. Slowly, he turned around to see what it was, but he ended up backing away in fear at the sight of a massive orange fox with nine tails, long ears, and humanoid forelegs. Said fox was looking at him with soul-piercing red eyes that nearly left him frozen in place.

"Y-You're the…"

 _ **"** **Feh,"**_ the fox scoffed. _**"How humiliating… My container is a little brat who runs away from his problems."**_

 _'Container?'_ Naruto thought in confusion.

 _ **"** **That's enough, brother,"**_ Gyūki declared. _**"We don't have the time or patience to deal with your attitude right now."**_

 _ **"** **And I don't have the slightest care for what you want,"**_ the Kyuubi shot back, laying his head on his forelimbs, eyes closed.

 _ **"** **What if we wanted to try and settle things between you and the kid here?"**_

 _ **"** **Feh, like I'd want to make any sort of deal with the brat."**_

"Hey!" Naruto cried, making the fox open one eye lazily. "I'm not some brat that you can just ignore! My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and don't you forget it, ttebayo!"

Bee smirked at that, remembering only one other person who had a verbal tic similar to the one the blonde just used. _'So, he's your kid then, Miss Red? No doubt the reason you're not with him is because you're dead.'_

 _ **"** **I could honestly care less about you, brat,"**_ shot down the Kyuubi, closing his eye again. _**"I have no intention of dealing with humans; and I never will. So, buzz off."**_

"You…" growled Naruto, clenching his fists at his sides as fear was replaced by rage. "You're just like the villagers!"

 _ **"** **Come again, brat?"**_ the Kyuubi replied, opening his eyes and narrowing them at the blonde Uzumaki.

"I said that you're just like those damn villagers back in the Leaf, you asshole!" The fox growled lowly at the comparison, but Naruto continued, "You look at me and you see me as garbage! You don't want anything to do with me, so you treat me like shit and say that I'm not worth anything!" He pointed right at the fox's face as his blue eyes narrowed just as dangerously as the beast's. "What gives you the right to treat me like I'm nothing more than some kinda _monster_?!"

 _ **"** **What gives ME the right?!"**_ the Bijuu roared back, standing up on its haunches and glaring at the boy, who took a step back on instinct. _**"Don't speak to me as if you understand what we, as Bijuu, have gone through! You speak of pain, but it is NOTHING compared to what I and the others have gone through over the decades!"**_

Naruto paused at that, not having considered it during his ranting. "…"

 _ **"** **You talk about being treated like a monster; but, how do you think we Bijuu are treated ever since we could remember? You think you're the only one who knows pain?"**_ The fox growled as he finished, _**"You barely got a taste of it, brat."**_

Blue eyes looked down in growing shame at that, knowing that the fox in front of him was right about everything. "…I…" he started to say, but it came out as a whisper.

 _ **"** **Speak up, brat! If you're going to keep whining about your life, then at least have the guts to say it clearly!"**_

"…I'm sorry," he stated after a pause, raising his head to lock his blue eyes with the red orbs of the fox. Said Bijuu nearly recoiled at the surprising response from the blonde before him. "You're right… I… I don't know what it's like to have gone through what you and your siblings have," he began, going off of how Gyūki referred to the fox as _brother_. "I was just so tired of being looked down on by everyone and being called a monster that I took it out on you; and that's not fair. You don't deserve to have me complain about my life when you've got it harder than me. After all, if what I'm guessing is right, you're sealed inside of me, right?"

The Kyuubi lowered himself back down, laying his head once again on his paws. _**"Yes, you're right. The night you were born, I was sealed inside of you by the Fourth Hokage; after being ripped out of your mother."**_

"My mom?" the boy asked in surprise, eyes showing that he had hundreds of questions. "She held you before?"

 _ **"** **Yes, but that's something for another time. I can see that you're starting to realize how idiotic you were for comparing our lives together."**_ The blonde nodded, looking down again. _**"Since you're starting to get it, I'll decide to at least hear my brother out; but don't think I'm going to agree to anything, Gyūki!"**_

The Hachibi chuckled at his brother's pride influencing his, and nodded. _**"I wouldn't dream of it, Kurama."**_

The fox snorted at that, a bit annoyed at the casual use of his name; but not enough to make a big deal out of it. Besides, he had a feeling that Gyūki would've let the boy know anyway.

"Alright, that's what I'm talking 'bout!" Bee rapped with a grin. "Little Naruto and Big 9 are gonna sort things out!"

The fox sweatdropped at that and turned to Gyūki. _**"…Does he do this often?"**_

 _ **"** **You have NO idea…"**_ deadpanned the Hachibi before he decided to move things along. With any luck, his brother and the young Uzumaki would come to an understanding after this.

And if they did, then they'd be a real force to be reckoned with in the future.

* * *

 **And there you have it! I hope that this chapter gets you pumped up for the next one!**

 **So, as you can see, Killer Bee and Gyūki have taken an interest in Naruto. This won't be a short-lived thing, though. I plan on having the rapping "Lord" Killer Bee be a major character in this story; and I'm even thinking of giving him a Monster Girl pairing of his own! _*winks*_**

 **As noted in the beginning notes, this story is a SINGLE PAIRING for Naruto! Tionishia is the ONLY girl that will be with Naruto romantically! So, please don't ask for anyone else to be added.**

 **If you DO want to throw out any suggestions, then make some for Killer Bee! I'm curious about who you guys think will fit with the rapping Jinchūriki!**

 **Oh, hey look! I just made my own rhyme! _*chuckles*_**

 **In the next chapter, I will finally introduce Tionishia-chan, and it will also be the start of Killer Bee's training of young Naruto! What will happen when Naruto meets Tionishia? What exactly will Bee teach Naruto? Will the Leaf ANBU find him and bring him back?**

 **You'll have to wait to find out! _*grinning*_**

 **Until next time!**

 _ **~pain17ification~**_


	3. Chapter 3: Search and Rescue

**Here comes the next update!**

 **Sorry if it took longer than you hoped… _*sheepish chuckle*_**

 **Disclaimer:** _ **pain17ification**_ **owns nothing**

* * *

 _A Human Monster_

 _Chapter Three: Search and Rescue_

* * *

Sitting on his bed in the room he was staying in, Naruto stared at the floor in thought as he hugged his legs.

It was late in the evening, and he wasn't tired enough to even try to get some sleep. His thoughts were keeping him awake, and they were all focused on what had happened earlier with his fellow Jinchūriki and their respective Bijuu.

He never knew that he held the Kyuubi inside of him, and the revelation was like light breaking through the clouds. Now, he understood why the villagers were so afraid of him. But, even through the realization, he couldn't find himself willing to go back to the Hidden Leaf. The emotional hurt was too much to simply "forgive and forget".

He needed time; time to sort things out, time to get stronger (both physically and emotionally), and time to discover who he was. For so long, he had only ever thought of himself as what the villagers called him; a monster in human skin. But now, he had an opportunity to see the rest of the world and, hopefully, give himself a real identity.

Not to mention he still had his initial goal of finding other "monsters" and showing them that they weren't alone. If his quest led him further away from the Leaf, then he was ready for it.

"Hey, Kurama?" he spoke up, looking to his gut.

 _ **"** ** _I_ don't recall giving you permission to use my name," **_ the Kyuubi replied, though his voice lacked the initial anger that Naruto experienced earlier. _**"Until I feel you've earned the right to, don't use my name."**_

He nodded. "Okay. Sorry about that. I had a question, though."

 _ **"** **What?"**_

"Well…I was wondering if monsters really exist?"

The Bijuu was silent for a moment.

"I mean, I have this book on them and there's a lot of different ones in it. I was just…wondering if it was real."

 _ **"…** **Monsters have existed in the past, and some species still do."**_

"Really?" the boy asked, growing excited. "Where are they? What kinds are still around?"

 _ **"** **Stop! I can only tolerate so much from you!"**_ the Bijuu roared, making Naruto wince since it echoed in his mind. _**"I don't know where they are OR what species are left. I only recall seeing one through your mother's eyes when she was still a fresh Genin."**_

"What kind?"

 _ **"** **Your mother ran into a centaur during one of her missions, but she didn't get to interact with them since they took off at the sight of her."**_

"Oh…" He was disappointed at not being able to know more. But, something made him perk up. "Hey, so what was my mom like?"

 _ **"** ** _M_ y opinion of your mother is not a good one, considering how I was held inside of her in a FAR more restrictive manner than I am in you. You wouldn't want to hear my thoughts on the woman."**_

He cringed at that, agreeing about not wanting to hear bad things about her. "Then…can you at least tell me what she looked like?"

Instead of a vocal reply, Naruto got an image of a beautiful woman with long red hair and violet eyes pushed into his mind. The image showed the woman grin, and Naruto couldn't help but see himself in the grin.

"Mom…" he whispered, his voice thick with emotion as his eyes grew moist. He focused on the image, burning it into his mind so that he would have no chance of forgetting what she looked like. "…What was her name?"

 _ **"…** **Kushina. Now, enough questions for today. I agreed to give you a chance, but my patience has its limits."**_

He wiped his eyes before any tears could fall. "Right… Thank you, Kyuubi."

The fox didn't reply and their connection was cut, but the boy liked to think that the fox heard him despite that.

* * *

"Any news?" Sarutobi asked a team of ANBU consisting of Dog, Cat, Monkey, and Dragon.

Dog answered, "We caught a scent trail leading north after finding a hidden tunnel within the Uchiha Compound, sir. Naruto must've known about it for a while and used it to leave."

"The closest town north is Otafuku Gai," Cat noted. "Based on what we know, the kid should only know enough about chakra to channel it. It should be safe to assume that he won't know how to utilize it to strengthen his legs."

The Hokage nodded. "Alright then. The four of you follow the trail and bring him home. If anyone is holding him captive, you have permission to deal with them. But, if the person holding him is too much for you to handle, or if he's made it passed the border…then return to the village immediately."

"Sir!" saluted the four ANBU before they all left in blurs of movement.

Alone in his office, the Hokage took off his hat and rubbed the bald top of his head with a sigh. "Naruto… Have I really failed you this much?" he asked no one.

* * *

"Got a scent," a small pug ninja hound spoke up, sniffing the ground where Naruto had exited the village. "Follow me!"

The ANBU squad pursued after the summon, keeping their senses open for anyone who could get the drop on them. Of the four members, only one didn't have a personal desire to find the missing Uzumaki boy; but that was only because Monkey never had any prior contact with the kid before he ran off.

Dog, or Kakashi Hatake, knew the boy's parents and was mentally kicking himself for not seeing how Naruto was hurting. _'Sensei… I'll find your son.'_

Cat, or Yugao Uzuki, had been the boy's guard on multiple occasions and saw the brighter side of his personality. She would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy his penchant for pranks and mischief. But what she wanted most was to keep the kid safe; never once finding the life he had been given as _fair_ or _deserved_. _'We're gonna find you, Naruto… I promise.'_

As for Dragon, or Akiko Suzuki (1), she had been the sole surviving student of the boy's mother; who she looked to as a mentor, idol, and mother figure. She had tried desperately to adopt the boy, but the Elder Council and her duties in ANBU always interfered with her efforts; making all forms of contact with the boy be stopped cold. The only thing, besides guard him, that she could do was leave him some fresh food or clothes as he grew up; but she never felt it was enough to make up for her absence. _'Sensei, I'll keep him safe… And we'll finally be a family; I swear it!'_

They finally slowed to a halt at a caved in section of earth, that was being circled by Dog's ninja hound summon. "The scent is strong here, and it goes inside." He sniffed again before frowning. "Two other scents were here as well, but they don't have a trail for me to follow."

"They must've used the Body Flicker technique to leave the area," Monkey deduced. "They could still be in the vicinity."

"No," the pug shot down. "Their scent isn't strong enough. They left some time ago, after digging around the area."

"Damn," Dog cursed before using an Earth Style jutsu to clear away any of the remaining rubble, leaving an opening for the squad to enter through. "Keep your guards up, team. We don't know what's down here."

"Sir!" the replied before the four ANBU jumped into the darkness.

* * *

"So, ya ready to go, Little 9?" Bee asked his fellow Jinchūriki.

Nodding, the boy pocketed his two sealing scrolls that held all his belongings. "Ready, Bee-san."

"Nah, kid. None of that 'san' crap. Hearing that makes it hard to rap. Just call me Bee, cause that's who I be."

Naruto laughed at the rap and nodded. "Okay, Bee. So, where are we going, exactly?"

"Don't know yet. But it'll be an adventure, I bet. We should hit the road though. I'd rather not hold up the show." With that, the man started walking with the young Uzumaki right behind him.

After a couple of miles down the road, Naruto turned to his senior container and asked, "So…what's the Hidden Cloud like? Did you run away, too?"

"In a way, but not for good. I'm just taking a little vacation," the man answered. "My brother is Raikage, and he's always trying to get me to stay put. But it's boring to just stay in the village day in and day out, ya dig?"

Shrugging, Naruto answered, "I've only known staying in the village. I guess if I went on a few missions and saw more of the world, then I'd understand what you mean."

 _ **"** **Kid's honest, at least,"**_ Gyūki spoke to Bee. _**"So, how long are we gonna look after him?"**_

 _'Don't know yet, so don't fret.'_

 _ **"** **Bee, you and I both know that there are people that are gonna come after the kid. Not to mention your brother is bound to send people to take you back as well."**_

 _'Yeah, I know that. No doubt bro's already blown off his hat.'_

 _ **"…**_ **Blown off his hat _? Bee, your raps are getting worse, now."_**

To Naruto, watching Bee suddenly clutch his chest as if he had been stabbed caught the boy off guard. Hearing the man shout out loud about the "greatness" that was rapping made him sweatdrop.

 _'I hope I don't ever act like that…'_

 _ **"** **Give it time,"**_ Kurama spoke up with a chuckle. _**"Spend too much time with that guy and you'll be just as bad as he is."**_

 _'Doubt it. I'm not really the rapping type, after all.'_

 _ **"** **True; you're more like a kitsune than you think."**_

 _'Eh?'_

 _ **"** **You're tricky, quick on your feet, and have**_ **some** _ **potential. Add in some ears and a tail to those birthmarks of yours, and BAM! Instant kitsune, brat."**_

Blue eyes blinked at that, picturing how he'd look with yellow fox ears and a tail. With the image in mind, he palmed his face. "Dammit…"

 _ **"** **Don't be mad because I was right again,"**_ taunted the Bijuu. _**"Better humans than you have tried to outwit me."**_

 _'And apparently, some people succeeded if mom and I were both your containers,'_ the Uzumaki pointed out.

 _ **"…"** _ The fox tried to retort, but he had nothing. _**"…Shut up, brat."**_

With the connection cut, Naruto couldn't help but chuckle at his small victory. The game of wits was on from that day forward.

* * *

"How the hell did he manage to stumble across one of Orochimaru's labs?" Monkey asked with wonder in his voice as the ANBU team searched the underground laboratory. "We've been looking for these hidden bunkers for years."

"Now's not the time to be questioning how he found this place," shot down Dragon, her voice laced with her growing frustration. "Captain, any luck on his scent trail?"

Dog was looking through the dusty shelves for anything worth storing. Sure, it wasn't their prime objective at the current time, but there could still be something concerning Orochimaru's twisted experiments in the base. "I have Pakkun looking for the strongest trail for us to follow. This place is like a maze, so Naruto must have had to backtrack quite a few times."

Dragon nodded and waited impatiently for the ninja hound to come back. Every second wasted was a second more for Naruto to get further away from them. They still didn't even know if he had been snatched during his impromptu leaving of the Hidden Leaf.

 _'Please… Please be okay,'_ she prayed mentally, her worry for the once ball of sunshine growing the longer they stayed there.

* * *

Traveling with someone sure as hell beat traveling alone. That was what was going through Naruto's mind as he walked down the dirt trail with his fellow Jinchūriki. _'But then again…I'm never really alone.'_

 _ **"** **Figured that out all by yourself, did you?"**_

The boy just sighed at that, ignoring the insulting question. "So, Bee," he spoke up, making the tall man look down to him, "do you believe in monsters?"

He rose a brow at the odd question. "Whatcha talking about, kid?"

Not losing his pace, the young Uzumaki unsealed his Monster Book and opened it up to a random page before presenting it to Killer Bee. "Like this," he clarified, poking at the illustration of a harpy.

Bee grabbed the book and flipped through the pages, growing interested at the many different species of Monsters. A couple of them lived in areas that were native to the Land of Lightning, which got him more curious.

"Well, I've never seen any of these Monsters before, little man. But, I recall that seeing and meeting them was part of your plan."

"Right! See, back home, I was called a Monster and it hurt a lot. But, it also made me realize that I'm not the only Monster in the world. So, I wanna meet as many of them as I can and be someone that could help."

"What if they don't need your help?" Bee challenged, testing the kid.

"Then I'll be their friend!"

"And if they don't want to be friends?"

Naruto made to answer, but stopped himself. "…Even if they don't want to be friends, or they don't need my help…I'll still be there for them. I didn't have a lot of people there for me, and I don't want others to feel the same."

Bee couldn't help but smirk at the boy's determination to help others. _**"That boy's going to be remembered as one of those**_ **selfless** _ **types that pop up a couple times a generation,"**_ Gyūki spoke up. _**"Most aren't known for their skill, but they still wind up being inspirational for future generations."**_

 _'Most aren't, sure,'_ the Cloud Jonin agreed. _'But, the three of us will help him be a great ninja. He's already a good person, so he won't need our help there.'_

Chuckling within the seal, Gyūki replied, _**"That's true."**_

Unknown to them all, a single red eye opened within the Uzumaki boy's seal.

* * *

Back with the ANBU team, they had finally left Orochimaru's hidden bunker with some of the man's notes sealed away by Dog and Monkey. Dragon wasn't pleased by the delay in the least, and she planned to let the two of them know it when they returned home.

"Otafuku Gai, dead ahead," spoke up Cat, catching sight of a sign indicating their destination. "What should we do, Captain?"

Dog had them halt from their position in the trees, looking down to the small town and watching the people. "Split up and search for any clues. Ask some of the civilians if they've seen Naruto around lately and keep in radio contact."

"Sir," replied Monkey and Cat while Dragon was already on the ground, using the Transformation technique to dress herself in a simple sundress while her naturally brown hair was darkened to an ebon black.

Giving her teammates a narrowed look, showing them _just_ how impatient she was, she headed for the town with the hope of finding something – _anything_ – that could lead her to her missing ball of sunshine.

 _'Naruto… Hold on just a little longer…'_

* * *

Blearily, her red eyes opened to the blurred sight of metal bars. In an instant, they widened and she forced them into focus before backing away from them with a frightened gasp. She didn't get far, unfortunately; her body backing into another set of bars.

"Look who finally woke up?" a sinister voice spoke up, making the girl flinch away from it and hug her body in fear. "Oh, don't be scared," he said with mocking sympathy, eyeing the girl's pointed ears and single, dark purple horn poking out from her forehead. "We've got something special planned for you, little monster."

Her eyes grew misty as her heart hammered in her chest. Scared wasn't even close to describing how she was feeling. She curled up in the middle of her cage, away from all four barred sides, tears rolling down her cheeks while her dirt covered blonde hair fell over her eyes, hiding her vulnerability from the world.

 _'Someone please…'_ she mentally prayed, _'…save me…'_

* * *

Naruto was reading from his book on chakra as he and Bee made a stop for a few minutes. The older man had some "business" to take care of and Naruto had already bagged a few handfuls of berries for the road.

He wasn't prepared for the Kyuubi to speak up, and jumped in surprise when the fox said, _**"Boy."**_

 _'Don't do that!'_ the boy mentally shouted back, calming down from the surprise.

 _ **"** ** _S_ tay sharp, then,"**_ the Bijuu fired back before he returned to the point. _**"I can sense something dark to the east."**_

 _'Dark?'_

 _ **"** **I have the ability to sense the darkness of others; basically, any sort of dark emotion they are expressing,"**_ the fox explained. _**"You're nowhere ready enough to handle anything on your own, so stay away from that area so that you don't get us killed."**_

Frowning, Naruto turned his gaze to the east and narrowed his eyes. _'…Someone could be in trouble.'_

 _ **"** **Someone's**_ **always** _ **in trouble,"**_ shot down the Bijuu. _**"That doesn't mean you need to try and save everyone."**_

 _'I don't_ need _to, but that doesn't mean I can't_ try _to,'_ he argued back before he sealed away his book and the berries before pulling out a kunai. Taking a breath to steel his nerves, he started moving out to see what was going on.

 _ **"** **You're an idiot,"**_ the Kyuubi spoke up. _**"Are you trying to get us killed?"**_

 _'I'm trying to do what I can for others!'_

 _ **"** **And it will get you killed!"**_

 _'If I can make someone else's life better, than it's worth it!'_

That made the Kyuubi pause, being reminded of the _one_ person he ever respected.

 _'So, shut up and let me do it!'_ the boy finished, ending the conversation just in time to peek through some bushes.

He saw a group of four men in a campsite. One was cooking some food in a pot at the fire, one was resting against a tree, and two of them were talking beside a metal cage. But it was _who_ was in the cage that made the boy's blue eyes widen.

It was a girl, one who was curled up and shivering in fear. She was dressed in ruined clothes and covered in dirt. He caught a glimpse of her horn and gasped silently, recognizing the characteristics she possessed.

 _'She's an oni (ogre)!'_

Within the seal, Kurama palmed his muzzle with a groan. _**'Well, shit… Now he**_ **really** _ **won't back down from this.'**_

Blue eyes narrowed as Naruto silently moved through the bushes, getting closer to the cage. Thanks to the many years spent sneaking around the Hidden Leaf to pull off his pranks, sneaking through a brush was a breeze to him. When he was close enough, he made sure no one was close enough to hear and whispered to the girl.

"Pst…" he called out, getting nothing. He tried again, and it earned a flinch from her. "Over here," he whispered out, making her peek out through her blonde hair and letting him see her red eyes that widened in surprise at the sight of him. Giving her a reassuring smile, he said, "Don't worry. I'll get you out of there; promise."

Her eyes teared up and she nodded in understanding, grateful for someone trying to help her. Being careful not to give the brave boy, she mouthed her thanks as he ducked back into the bushes. Once he was out of sight again, she stayed still so that she wouldn't seem suspicious.

"Ow!" one of her captors cried out, making her hold back from flinching so that she could focus on listening. "The fuck?" he questioned, picking up a small rock that had hit him.

The one cooking was too far away to hear what was happening, and he wasn't prepared for a blunt force to hit him in the back of the head and render him unconscious. Backing away from him quickly was Naruto, having used a lesson he learned in the Academy about incapacitation using the ring of a kunai.

"The hell? Tora, are you alright?" the man who got hit by a rock spoke up after seeing the cook suddenly fall over and not move. He checked the man over and cursed before pulling out a dagger made from what used to be a sword. "Keep your eyes peeled! Shiro, wake your ass up!"

The resting man snorted awake and was told about what was happening before the three remaining men kept looking around. One of them stayed next to the cage while Shiro and the apparent leader slowly moved through the campsite while continuously looking up at the trees in case it was a ninja attacking them.

Silently, Naruto crept up to the one standing next to the cage, taking extra care not to brush the ninja wire he was holding against the man's legs. He had to move slow so that he didn't make any noise before he inched back to the bushes behind the man. Once he was close enough, he took another small rock and threw it away from his position, having it hit another bush and catching the attention of the three men.

Safe for the moment, he tied the other end of the ninja wire to one of his kunai and jammed it into the ground; using chakra to strengthen his hands enough to get it in deep. He was lucky enough to have read about chakra enhancement during his stay at the inn before leaving with Bee.

Satisfied, he took a risk and rushed through some of the bush, making a bigger noise and prompting the men to rush to his location. The one by the cage found his legs tripped up and hissed as the ninja wire cut into his skin. "Shit! It's a ninja!" he called out.

The other two cursed while the leader ordered Shiro to go help the other one. "Come out already, coward! Too afraid to take us head-on?!" he called out, hoping to rile up the ninja attacking them. He cut into a random bush, hoping to catch them off guard, but cursed when he saw nothing there.

"Damn, this stings!" the trapped man hissed out as Shiro tried to get him free.

"Stop moving so much then, Niko!" Shiro ordered. "You're making the fucking thing cut my hands!"

"Both of you shut up and get him freed!" the leader yelled to them, turning away from the bushes and leaving himself open for a small blur to tackle him in the chest. The force knocked him on his back and he cursed before tensing at the kunai held to his neck. "A fucking brat?" he asked incredulously at the blonde boy that had a knee on his chest and the kunai in hand.

"Don't move!" Naruto yelled out to him, making Shiro attempt to stand. The boy saw this and pressed the knife's edge to the leader's skin, making Shiro pause. "That means you too!"

"Come off it, brat!" the leader spoke up, glaring at the Uzumaki. "You're just some kid who's in over his head. I bet you never hurt anyone in your life." He caught Naruto's flinch, making him smirk. "You don't have it in you to pull it off. What, you saw a pretty girl and decided to play _Hero_?"

Naruto glared back at him, but he said nothing. _**"He's right, you know."**_

 _'Not now, Kyuubi,'_ fired back the boy, making the fox scoff.

 _ **"** **Admit it; you bit more than you can chew, and they know it. You're not mentally prepared to take a life, and they're gonna take advantage of that."**_

Naruto growled in frustration and kept the kunai pressed to the leader's neck while he saw the boy's eyes flicker red for a moment. _'The hell…?'_

 _'So, what; do I just let them keep her locked up?!'_

 _ **"** **I never said that. What I'm suggesting is that you let me take over for a moment."**_

 _'What…?'_

The Bijuu rolled his eyes. _**"Let me control your body and handle this. I won't do anything else; you have my word."**_ His voice grew stern as he added, _**"But in exchange, I want**_ **your** _ **word that you won't do anything stupid like this again unless we know you're ready for it. Got it?"**_

Outwardly, Naruto kept his eyes narrowed at the leader and his men while inwardly he gave the fox a small smile and nodded. _'Okay, I promise. And Kyuubi?'_

 _ **"** **What?"**_

 _'Thanks for helping me out…'_

The fox scoffed before he felt Naruto give him some control, letting the boy's blue eyes turn crimson. The gleam they gave off made the leader freeze while the air grew heavy and made the other men tense. Kurama made sure not to let his presence affect the young oni girl, knowing it wouldn't help the situation.

 _ **"** **So,"**_ he spoke up through Naruto's body. _**"You think I'm not ready for this, do you?"**_ All the men shivered at the voice while the girl looked to the boy with concern, seeing the red glow of his eyes from her cage. _**"Let me show you how wrong you are."**_ He turned to the girl, making her flinch at the eyes being aimed at her. _**"Girl, you'll want to look away from this. The boy will explain afterwards."**_

Having an idea of what was going to happen, she nodded slowly and buried her face in her knees while covering her ears and humming to herself to drown everything out. After a couple of minutes, she heard the metal bars of her cage get ripped apart and nervously looked up to the sight of familiar blue eyes.

He gave her a sad smile and bowed. "Sorry if I scared you. That was the first time I did anything like that before." He raised himself back up and gave her a concerned look. "Are you alright?"

Her answer was teary eyes as she moved to him and clutched him to her, sobbing into his chest while he hugged her in hopes of comforting her. They stayed like that until Bee showed up, prompting Naruto to give a quick explanation of what had happened since the girl had passed out in emotional exhaustion.

Bee opted to carry her on his back since she was bigger than Naruto, and the boy held her hand as they walked away from the camp…and the four corroded bodies that scorched the ground.

* * *

 _"I've got a lead,"_ Dragon heard Cat speak up from her earpiece. _"A small blonde boy with whiskered cheeks was seen leaving with a tall, dark man with seven swords."_

Her heart sank at that, recognizing the description of the S-Rank ninja of the Hidden Cloud. He was known as the younger brother of the current Raikage; Killer Bee of the Eight Tails.

Not caring for discretion, she rushed off to find her teammates and linked up with them outside of town, heading off for where Naruto was seen moving out to. "He's with Killer Bee," she informed the group.

"I know," Dog replied. "This makes things difficult for us."

"Difficult or not, we can't just let him take Naruto to the Hidden Cloud!" Dragon argued. "We don't know if he'll be safe there; let alone with the Hachibi Jinchūriki!"

"I understand your concern, Dragon," Dog placated. "But we can't just rush into a potential fight with the Raikage's younger brother. It'll end bad for us and for the village."

"But Naruto-"

"The kid's a runaway," Monkey cut off, making Dragon turn to him in rage. "Don't give me that look. We all know he ran off; it's not a secret. And since he's not a registered ninja of the Leaf, we technically have no jurisdiction over him."

"You sonuvabitch! You're suggesting we do nothing and let the Hidden Cloud have Naruto _just like that_?!"

"Our hands are tied!" yelled back Monkey. "What can we do given the circumstances?! It's the brat's fault for running off like that, anyway!"

Rage took full control and Dragon – no, _Akiko_ – tackled Monkey to the ground, holding his collar with one hand while her free one started wailing on him with furious punches to the face. "YOU FUCKING BASTARD! IT'S NOT HIS FAULT HE WAS TREATED LIKE SHIT!"

Dog and Cat had to pull Akiko off of Monkey, just to stop her from killing the poor fool. She struggled to break free, cursing the injured ANBU nonstop as tears streamed down her face. As he tried to hold her back, Dog knew that the mission was more than likely going to be declared a failure.

 _'Dammit!'_ he cursed mentally. _'Sensei…I'm so sorry…'_

* * *

 **1~ Look up "Akiko Suzuki" from Naruto and you'll see that she's an actual OC that someone made. I don't own her at all, and I'm throwing a shout out to whoever the creative mind behind her design is! Great work!**

 **And that's chapter three! Naruto has now met, and rescued, Tionishia the Oni (Ogre)! What will happen when she wakes up? Where did she come from? And what will the ANBU team do with the odds of retrieving Naruto stacked high against them?**

 **Stay tuned to find out! And don't forget to please review!**

 **Until next time!**

 _ **~pain17ification~**_


	4. Chapter 4: Steadfast Convictions

**Update Time!**

 **Disclaimer:** _ **pain17ification**_ **owns nothing**

* * *

 _A Human Monster_

 _Chapter Four: Steadfast Convictions_

* * *

The first thing she noted when she opened her eyes again was that she was staring at the inside of a tent, resting comfortably atop a bedroll. Her red eyes widened in fear and she sat up quickly, looking around for any signs of the cruel humans that had her caged up like a wild animal.

The flaps of the tent opened, making her instinctively turn to them with a frightened gasp. However, that fear immediately left her when she saw the familiar blonde-haired boy and his expressive blue eyes.

He gave her a smile as he asked, "How are you feeling?"

Her answer was tearing up and clutching him just like she did when he broke her out of her cage. "Thank you," she choked out, her body shaking with her grateful sobs. "Thank you…"

He rubbed her back soothingly, letting her get everything out. He had no doubts that he would react the same way if he had been in her place. The moment was almost ruined when he heard Kurama speak up. _**"Well, I suppose some congratulations are in order, boy."**_

 _'What do you mean? You were the one who did the dirty work,'_ he replied, fighting a shudder at what his body had done with the Bijuu in control.

 _ **"True, but perhaps I might have been a tad hasty when I told you to ignore what I had felt. As you can see, this girl we saved is of the Oni race. What do you know of them from that book of yours?"**_

 _'Not much except that they grow pretty tall and have horns on their foreheads.'_

 _ **"** **I suppose I shouldn't have expected you to know more,"**_ the fox mused, absently noting how the Oni girl had yet to let go of his container. _**"Oni are known for their raw physical power, with adults capable of ripping out full-grown trees from the ground with ease. This girl… She could be a valuable addition to you."**_

 _'I don't like how you're referring to her as some kind of tool. She's a person, Kyuubi.'_

 _ **"** **Take it how you will. You can't deny that she would be a welcome addition; with the right training, of course. Speaking of which, when do you plan to train yourself? You're…weak right now."**_

His brow twitched at the blatant insult. _'I was gonna ask Bee today, you damn furball.'_

The fox only chuckled at the insult. _**"You'd better. I refuse to have a WEAK host,"**_ he taunted before cutting the connection.

His brow twitched again before he refocused on comforting the Oni girl. "It's okay," he assured her with a smile. "You're safe now, I promise." She pulled away and wiped her eyes of any remaining tears, smiling back at him gratefully. "So, what's your name? Mine is Naruto Uzumaki."

"Tionishia…" she answered. "But I also go by Tio."

"It's a nice name," he complimented, getting a faint blush from her. "So, I know that you probably don't want to think back on what happened, but do you remember what happened before you were captured?"

She cringed as memories of what happened flashed in her mind, making her shiver. "…My home," she whispered, slowly hugging her knees. "It was found by some cruel humans, and my…" She fought a sob. "My parents told me to run while they helped hold them off from killing us."

Naruto frowned at this, finding himself frustrated with how people acted without thinking as soon as they saw a _Monster_. "How did you escape?"

"My parents showed me some underground tunnels that haven't been used by humans for years. Some friends and I would explore them and map them out all the time."

 _'Kinda like how I was looking for secret ways out of the Leaf,'_ mused the Uzumaki.

"I made it out, but I ran into those men you saved me from. They cornered me before I could try and run, saying that they were…" She shivered. "They were going to sell me like some prize."

"Bastards," Naruto growled out, his anger unconsciously drawing on Kurama's chakra.

"I don't know what happened to my parents or my home," Tio continued, sounding increasingly worried. She then turned to him, her expression pleading as she begged, "Please! I have to go and see if they're alright! I have to know what happened!"

"Easy," he replied, trying to calm her down. "We'll take you there as soon as you're more recovered. How long has it been since you've eaten?"

Her stomach seemed to have heard him, for it growled as soon as he finished his query. She would've blushed in embarrassment, but the weakened feeling from lack of food superseded that.

"I figured as much," Naruto noted with an assuring smile before he went over to his bag and handed her his bag of wild berries. "Eat up and rest a bit longer. We'll go afterwards."

She nodded once, eating in a subdued manner that made him worried about her emotional and mental state. Being trapped messed with someone more than they realized; something he spoke from experience due to his own entrapment in a hate-filled village.

Leaving her alone to eat, he stepped out of the tent and moved over to the small fire that Bee had made. "How is she?" the man asked, all traces of rapping gone from his voice.

"She's eating right now. Hopefully, she'll get some rest," the boy answered, sitting in front of the fire and watching some caught fish cook. "…Her home was found by accident and attacked. She's worried about her people."

The man hummed in understanding. "And you want to help her get back, yeah?"

"Yes. If anyone survived, she deserves to know."

"And if no one did?" Bee asked seriously, making Naruto flinch. "It's a possibility, Little Nine; one that seems cruel, but could still happen."

"…If no one is there, then she can stay with us. It was my goal to find and help Monsters." His eyes hardened in determination. "What kind of person would I be if I went back on that goal and abandoned her?"

"A pretty crappy one," Bee answered with a chuckle. "But, I'm with ya, Little Nine. If she wants to, I don't mind having the little lady come with us."

Grinning at the man, the runaway Jinchūriki replied, "Thanks, Bee."

Unknown to the younger male, Tionishia had quietly eavesdropped on their talk. While she hoped that Killer Bee was wrong and there _were_ survivors, her heart warmed at hearing Naruto say he would help her out.

 _'Maybe not all humans are cruel,'_ she mused, once again grateful that her fellow blonde came to her rescue.

* * *

Akiko was forced to be "under watch" after her outburst and attack of her fellow operative the day before. She didn't care about her punishment, still angry at the man for what he said about her teacher's son. Frustration filled her to the tipping point at her team's inability to do anything, knowing that the Jinchūriki of the Hidden Cloud was more than a match for any of them; considering the rumors of his perfect control over the Hachibi.

She sat in stubborn silence, ignoring anything that Kakashi or Yugao said to her. They claimed to be worried for Naruto, but they didn't show it enough in her eyes. They were so set on sticking to the mission parameters while she was more than willing to risk all she had to get Naruto back.

A plan brewed in her mind; one that would label her a traitor. However, she justified that being a traitor to her village was a lesser evil than betraying the woman who was like a mother to her throughout her career as a kunoichi. If keeping Kushina-sensei's son safe meant betraying the Leaf, then it was more than worth it.

She needed to be patient, though. If she rushed it, she would be subdued and brought back with her actions being in vain. She needed to wait, be the sleeping Dragon her mask symbolized.

And one _never_ disturbed a sleeping Dragon.

* * *

To the fortune of Tionishia, her captors hadn't moved very far from the tunnel system she had used to escape; considered they needed to move her caged form with them. The tunnels themselves were poorly lit, but Bee made a torch for them to better see where they were going.

It took some time – which surprised Tio since she felt like she had moved through them faster during her escape – but they finally came to the exit that was closest to her home village. A factor that slowed them down was how they were moving upwards in the cavern tunnels; Tionishia explaining how her people lived away from others in the mountains.

What awaited them nearly crushed the poor Oni girl. Her village had been ransacked, burnt down, and abandoned. Not a soul was in sight, which did nothing to ease her fears.

Seeing her distress, Naruto moved over to her and gently grasped her hand. When she turned her misty red eyes to his blue ones, he spoke softly, "Let's look around for clues. There could be some survivors who made it out to safety."

She sniffed, but nodded. If there were any signs, she needed them to find her people. She let the boy lead her through the ruins, keeping her eyes peeled for anything that could point them towards potential survivors.

Meanwhile, Naruto was conversing with Kurama. _'Sense anything?'_

 _ **"** **No one is here. If there was anyone, there'd be some lingering negativity in the air,"**_ the Bijuu replied. _**"Your best bet would be like you told her; finding clues."**_

 _'Dammit…'_

The two kids searched one part of the village while Bee searched another part, his expression unnaturally grim. "Acts like this make me wonder who the real monsters are, Eight-O."

 _ **"** **They make you see how humans are viewed from our perspective,"**_ Gyūki agreed. _**"But still, to attack a solitary race of people with no warning… It's despicable."**_

"Hopefully me or Little Nine will find something for the little lady." He looked inside a burnt down building with a shameful shake of his head. "So far, I haven't found anything good or shady."

 _ **"** **Rapping once again, eh? Part of me thinks that this is your way of coping."**_

"…It helps numb the pain and ease the strain," Bee rapped, his voice softer than usual.

 _ **"** **I see. Perhaps I won't be so critical then; for times like this, at least."**_

"Appreciate it, Gyūki. Thanks for not judging me."

Back with the other two, Naruto was watching sadly as Tionishia looked through the remains of her house. Everything had been burnt down from family paintings, precious keepsakes, and clothes. In every sense of the word, she had lost practically everything save for the tattered clothes she currently wore. And for a young Oni, wearing a damaged sundress and sandals wasn't going to be enough for very long.

Walking into the wreckage, he stepped up beside her to grasp her hand. She didn't acknowledge him, her red eyes staring at what used to be where she lived peacefully. She trembled and nearly fell to her knees, prompting Naruto to wrap an arm as much as he could around her slightly taller frame. She curled into him as they both dropped down, letting it all out as he whispered condolences and whatever words of comfort he could offer.

This was the scene that Bee walked in on, sharing a look with his fellow Jinchūriki. Nothing needed to be said; both knowing that the other couldn't find any signs. The air in the village grew somber enough to make even Kurama uncomfortable; the negativity palpable from within Naruto's seal.

* * *

Akiko rubbed her wrists that had chafed slightly from her restraints. Her mask was off as well, letting Dog and Cat see her annoyance at the situation.

"Sorry, but we couldn't take any chances after what happened earlier," Dog apologized.

"You were getting too emotional," Yugao added. "You know how we must behave when we wear these masks, Dragon."

"I'm not wearing mine now," argued the woman blandly. "Besides, at least I'm not killing myself and letting someone badmouth an innocent boy."

The two ANBU said nothing in response to that.

"At any rate," Akiko continued, donning her mask once again, "we're too far away from Naruto to attempt anything. I'm not stupid enough to chase after him without a plan; let alone doing it without any backup."

"Glad to hear it," Dog praised, relieved that she wasn't going to do anything reckless.

As he left, Cat put her hand on Dragon's shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly. "I've got an idea of what you're going through. If you want to talk about it, I'll listen."

"Thanks," replied Dragon, watching her fellow kunoichi leave her alone. With nobody around to hear her, she let out the scoff she had held in. "As if you have _any_ idea what I'm feeling," she growled out before taking a breath. "Easy now, Akiko. Patience is the key if you're going after Killer Bee." She started to follow her teammates, murmuring to herself, "No need to wake the Dragon just yet…"

* * *

A couple of days later found the trio of unlikely companions entering another small town residing in the Land of Fire. They were making their way northeast, towards the border between Fire and Hot Water. From there, they would catch a ship to the Land of Lightning and head for the Hidden Cloud.

Considering what Naruto was, and how they were traveling with an Oni girl, Gyūki told Bee that it would be best for the two younglings to seek sanctuary in the village. While the Cloud Jonin wanted to argue, he couldn't find any reasons against what his partner had said. So, he ran it by his traveling companions, who both looked unsure about the option.

"I'm not sure I want to just join another village I don't know anything about," Naruto argued. "They may like you, but that doesn't automatically mean I'll be accepted."

As for Tionishia, she still had the potential loss of her people weighing heavily on her mind. "I want to keep searching for them, and I can't do that if I'm stuck in some human village. Besides," here, she grew nervous and unconsciously grabbed Naruto's hand, "what if they try to finish what those other humans started?"

They both made solid points in his opinion; something Gyūki didn't bother denying. But, that didn't stop Bee from telling Naruto that the village would be more than happy to have him; even if he wasn't a host. The Uzumaki were a rare breed ever since the loss of their homeland, and finding one was a great boon in a military sense. Naruto holding a Bijuu was just the icing on top.

As for Tio, he explained that the Land of Lightning had many mountain ranges; a habitat that the Oni preferred over others. If there were any survivors, he was willing to bet that they'd be there looking for a new place to settle; away from human society.

"Plus," he continued, "if you join the ninja corps, you can legally search those ranges. If you weren't part of the Hidden Cloud, you'd be labeled as suspicious and be brought in for questioning."

The fact that he was speaking without rapping showed how serious the matter was.

"Look," Naruto began as he and Tio sat on a hotel bed across from Bee's, "I'm sure that I'll be a great military asset in the eyes of the Raikage and his Council; but I don't know if I want to pledge my life to some village I wasn't born in. I don't even want to pledge myself to the one I _was_ born in."

"Yeah, I can respect that," Bee acknowledged. "I'd probably feel the same if I were in your place, Little Nine."

"Besides, if I stay in one place, how else will I look for other Monsters?"

That got Tio's attention. "You want to find other Monsters?"

"Yeah. I want to try and help them, or at least make some kind of peace with them."

"But…why? You're human, right?"

He smiled at her confusion. "Back in the Hidden Leaf, I wasn't seen that way; and they were right. If being _human_ means I should be like them, the people who attacked your home, or the men who caged you, then I'd rather be a Monster."

She couldn't help but be awed by his words and his conviction, making Kurama amused by the obvious adoration she felt for his host. It may have been hero worship at first, but she was starting to legitimately find reasons to like the Uzumaki boy.

 _ **'** **A human and a Monster, together?'**_ he mused to himself, not projecting his thoughts to Naruto's head. _**'This may be entertaining.'**_

Bee made the universal sign for " _Oh well_ " at that. "Alright then. I won't force the option on you two. But, I still need to give you some pointers if you wanna survive out there, Little Nine. So tomorrow, we'll get started on some training, ya dig?"

"Awesome!" cheered the Uzumaki.

"As for you, Miss Oni," he continued, getting her attention, "I'm not sure if you'd be interested; but I can teach you a couple things too, if you'd like?" Her eyes widened slightly. "At the very least, we can see if you can awaken your own chakra core."

She stared at her hands in her lap, clenching them a few times as she thought of how she couldn't help her people. Her decision made, she raised her head and nodded firmly to the offer. "I'd be honored, sensei."

He smirked at her determination. "Good. Make sure you two get plenty of rest. We'll start early tomorrow."

"Yes sensei," they chorused together, both of them anxious to get started.

With the plan made, Tionishia was given some money by Naruto to get some more clothes; something she added to the list of things she had to repay him for. As for the blonde boy, he went outside of town to check over the unknown jutsu scroll he had found in that old bunker. The words were faded, with _Jutsu_ being the only thing legible.

Although, there _was_ something else that would have the Hidden Leaf Council drooling; the crest of the Uchiha Clan.

He rolled open the scroll at its beginning, relieved that it was only the _outside_ of the rolled parchment that had been faded so terribly. "Let's see here," he mused before reading aloud, " Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation…"

 _ **"** **Oh, for fuck's sake,"**_ groaned the fox. _**"Of**_ **all** _ **the things that you could've possibly found besides his damnable war fan, you had to find one of his most powerful jutsu in that bunker…"**_

 _'Kyuubi…? What are you talking about?'_

 _ **"** ** _I_ 'm talking about the bastard who used me like a lowly Summoning Creature when he fought Hashirama; Madara Uchiha!"**_

 _'One of the founders of the Leaf?!'_

 _ **"** **And someone I'd love nothing more than to rip to pieces if he wasn't already dead,"**_ the Bijuu growled. _**"As much as I despise the man, you were beyond lucky to have found this."**_

 _'How powerful is it?'_

 _ **"** **You've seen other Fire Style jutsu before, correct?"**_

 _'Yeah. I saw someone spit out a fireball when I was spying on a spar.'_

 _ **"** **Take that pitiful excuse for flame and multiply it a hundredfold."**_ He would've relished in the shock on Naruto's face, but memories of Madara using him ruined the feeling. _**"Then take that enhanced fire and imagine it as a wave rolling towards you, spreading wide and cutting off any escape as it gets closer and closer to you."**_

He listened and imagined it, with Kurama supplying a more vivid image of what he was trying to picture. In his mind, he saw nothing but fire – a practical tidal wave of flame – roaring loudly as it enclosed around him. Just as it was about to swallow him in its inferno, he opened his eyes with a gasp while sweat rolled down the side of his face; his legs giving out under him and making him fall on his ass.

 _ **"** **Now you understand,"**_ Kurama declared, earning a shaky nod from his host. _**"If you could learn this, and master it…I doubt there'd be many that could contest it."**_

Taking a few breaths to compose himself, Naruto stood back up and grabbed the scroll again. He gave another breath before his eyes hardened and he unrolled the scroll. "Well then… I'd better get studying on how this works. If what you showed me is true…I could use this against anyone who wants to hurt me or people I care about."

 _ **"** **A jutsu like this doesn't differentiate friend from foe so easily, boy. This is destruction in the form of fire, meant to do nothing more than annihilate whatever stands in its way; hence the name."**_

"Right… Then I just need to make sure to aim it properly…"

His blue eyes became icy as he thought of the humans who took away so much from Tio. They then became practically glacial as he thought of those in the Leaf that saw him as a Monster.

"Well…I suppose I'll have to become one," he whispered to himself, though Kurama heard him.

And the Bijuu couldn't help but smirk at the boy's words.

* * *

Later that evening, Naruto was seen laying in his bed, looking out to the balcony the hotel room came with. Sitting outside was Tionishia, who was hugging her knees to her chest and staring at nothing. He quietly got out of bed and walked over to her, sitting down right next to the young Oni.

"…Do you want to talk about it?" he asked softly, ready to wait for her answer. He had experienced enough pain to know how hard it is to talk about it; for it brought back bad memories one wanted to just forget.

And he was right to wait, for she hugged her legs a bit tighter as her red eyes looked down sadly. It took her a few minutes – though it felt longer – before she finally spoke up. "I'm scared…"

He scooted closer to her, offering whatever sort of support he could. "Of what?"

She turned to him and he saw how her fear made tears rolls down her cheeks. "W-What if we don't find any of my people? What if…" She choked on her words, prompting Naruto to reach his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him not even a second after, finishing her question, "What if I'm the last one?"

"We won't know until we try, Tio," Naruto answered assuringly, rubbing the shoulder his hand rested on. "You can't give up hope yet."

"But we couldn't find anything!" she fired back, clutching him tightly as she shook. "Where are we supposed to start?"

"We start wherever you want to start," he replied firmly, making her look down and see him smiling at her supportively. "I don't care how long you want to keep looking; but I promise that I'll help you find them. My goal is to help any Monster I find; so, I'm going to start that goal by helping you."

Her eyes slowly widened at the sincerity in his voice, in the conviction his words held.

"If you want to search the whole world for them, then I'll be there with you." His smile turned somber as he added, "And…if we still can't find any of them…then I'll still stay with you. I'd like to think that, even if we only met recently, we're friends." She bit back another sob as his smile grew into a grin. "And friends stick together to the end."

She could take anymore and pulled him to her, her taller stature making it so that her head rested atop his. His head was pressed to her chest, and he was still too young to understand the implications surrounding the moment.

"Thank you," she choked out, her voice flowing with emotion as she realized that not _all_ humans were cruel beings. After all, if humanity could have someone as sweet and devoted as Naruto Uzumaki, then she concluded that she shouldn't judge a whole race too soon.

Kurama watched the whole moment the two shared, and he rested inside the seal in thought. Once again, this boy reminded him of the only man he fully respected; even cared about. Hagoromo thought to help the world, and he had hopes that Ninshū would be the catalyst to bring the world together.

Red eyes narrowed as he remembered that the ideal of the Sage had become the precursor to the method responsible for more lives taken than anything else in the history of the world. No, the ideal of Ninshū wasn't the way to go; Kurama knew that now more than ever. From what he saw, perhaps it was a simpler thing needed to unite the world.

Perhaps…all it needed was an open heart, like the one this boy had.

* * *

Standing before their Hokage were the four ANBU that had attempted to find Naruto. They all saw how the situation was getting to the aged village leader, his face having seemed to gain _more_ stress lines than before.

"So…he's with Killer Bee then," repeated the man.

"Yes, sir," Dog answered. "I felt it was best not to try anything, considering the prowess surrounding the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki."

"Yes, I can understand your reasons. Do you have any idea where they were headed?"

"We noted a trail heading northeast; most likely for the Hidden Cloud."

"Considering how _they_ treat their Jinchūriki, I'm not surprised," muttered Dragon, making the others tense at her tone while Hiruzen sighed.

"You're dismissed. Dog, I'll expect you to hand your report to me by the next hour." The silver-haired ANBU saluted. "Dragon, I'd like to speak to you privately for a moment."

The woman was expecting this and stood obediently while the others left the office; two of the three worried for their comrade while the last still held a grudge for what she did to him.

"You may remove your mask, if you wish," the Hokage offered.

"I'd rather not, sir," she replied, not wanting to give the man an opening to how she was feeling. Like her teacher before her, Akiko was always an expressive person; making it hard to hide her intentions from most people. "What did you wish to speak to me about?"

"Your emotional outburst during the mission. I understand your situation with Naruto and how you've made several attempts to help him."

"Attempts that were always cut off by either your Council or yourself, if I may speak freely," she quipped, throwing a barb at the man.

"You knew the requirements when you signed up for ANBU, Akiko," the man argued calmly.

"I did it to protect _her_ son," she growled back, her hands clenching tightly. "And what do I have to show for my intentions? He's _gone_ , and this village is responsible for it. He may have run off, but he wouldn't have needed to if he had people to care for him; and not just those ramen chefs."

"Akiko…" the Hokage tried to reason, but he was cut off.

"Two people out of _thousands_ is not enough to keep someone from leaving, and you know it!" she yelled, not caring who she _was_ yelling at. "Why weren't they allowed to adopt him? Did the _honorable_ Council deny them as well?"

"You're forgetting your place, _ANBU_ ," Hiruzen warned.

"No," Akiko refuted, deathly calm. "I'm _remembering_ my place." She finally reached up and removed her mask, letting the man see a seal written in dried blood on her forehead. "And that place is by Naruto's side, as the family he was _meant_ to have."

Recognizing the seal as one to increase durability, Hiruzen wasted no time to pin Akiko to the wall with a hard look in his eyes. "Where are you?" he interrogated the now-revealed Shadow Clone.

"On my way to him," she answered calmly. Being a clone, she didn't care if she was dispelled, for her original self was already gaining distance from the village and closing the gap between her and Kushina's child. "Consider this my resignation, _Hokage-sama_ ," she continued, stressing the title sarcastically. "Kushina-sensei and Minato-sama would be ashamed of this place for what it's done to their boy; but I'm not going to stand by any longer and do nothing."

"You've made yourself a traitor of the Leaf, Akiko," the man tried to reason. "Come back and we can reach an understanding."

"I've made my choice. If I had to choose to betray the village or the woman who raised me as her own, I'd betray the village in a heartbeat for her; as I'm doing now."

Not wanting to hear anymore, Hiruzen forcefully dispelled the clone and called another ANBU to fetch a Hunter Squad. He pinched his forehead to stave off the growing headache before heading over to his desk.

Regretfully, the man made an update to the village's Bingo Book:

 _Akiko Suzuki_

 _Rank: Jonin/ANBU of the Leaf_

 _Bounty Class: S-Rank_

 _Remaining student of Kushina Uzumaki_

 _Approach with caution_

"How did things get so out of control," the Hokage sighed out despondently, trying to figure out a way to get things _back_ in control.

* * *

 **And that's that! The update is now finished!**

 **Tionishia now has the unwavering support of our orange-loving hero, and Akiko has declared herself a traitor of the Leaf for Naruto's sake. Both have made their convictions known, and they will stick by them no matter what.**

 **So, what will happen when Akiko finally finds Naruto? How will he react to her identity as a student of his mother? And just what will happen when Bee starts training Naruto and Tionishia?**

 **You'll have to wait until next time!**

 **Also, I'm still taking suggestions for a pairing for Bee! So, please throw some out there; but tell me WHY you want that particular Monster Girl for the rapping Jinchūriki!**

 _ **~pain17ification~**_


	5. Chapter 5: Nearly There

**Here comes another update!**

 **Disclaimer:** _ **pain17ification**_ **owns nothing**

* * *

 _A Human Monster_

 _Chapter Five: Nearly There_

* * *

A couple days had passed since her defection from the Hidden Leaf, and Akiko was following the trail from where her old team had declared their mission a failure. She was searching through an abandoned camp, noting how it looked to have been assaulted by someone; proven by the disturbed earth, dried blood on the grass, and three distinct locations where the ground had been eaten away by some corrosion.

"Naruto-kun…" she whispered in concern. "Did you really have to use the fox's power?"

Having been a student and apprentice of the previous container, Akiko was familiar with how Bijuu chakra reacted to whatever it encountered. Kushina had been adamant about teaching her seals that helped repress or absorb that corrosive chakra, just in case she ever lost control.

As such, Akiko had at least half a dozen of those specific sealing tags stored away in her leg pouch. Part of her worried about needing to use them all on Killer Bee if it came to blows.

"I've got a scent," her summon spoke up, grabbing her attention. Sniffing the ground was a small green lizard that had leathery wings and a ridge-covered spine that let to its tail. This was one of her Dragon Summons.

"Which way?" Akiko asked.

"Heading for the mountains. From what I can smell, there's a cavern that travels through them."

She nodded, beckoning her summon to her shoulder before taking off after the scent. Her eyes brimmed with determination as she raced for the mountains.

* * *

After a light breakfast, Bee and his two new students had resumed traveling for the border of Fire and Hot Water. Along the way, he and Naruto had helped Tionishia awaken her chakra core, and the young Oni was currently practicing control over it with the Leaf Exercise that was a standard for the Hidden Villages. As for Naruto, he was doing the same thing, but with more leaves to increase the difficulty.

Because of his Uzumaki reserves _and_ housing a Bijuu, Naruto had a massive chakra pool that he needed to learn control over. The problem that all Jinchūriki face is control, for it was the foundation that helped them get a grasp on Bijuu chakra. That chakra was much more intense than regular chakra, so control was a must for harnessing it.

During their breaks from walking, Bee had also started the two on surface walking. Because of the abundance of trees, they trained on them. Tionishia was slowly getting the hang of it, having a decent grasp of her chakra that caught Bee by surprise. Unsurprisingly, Naruto was having difficulty with the training; again, because of his reserves.

The Cloud Jonin put it this way for Naruto: it was like trying to dump a pool into a bucket without spilling.

When they weren't training, Naruto and Tionishia would sit and talk about how they grew up. Seeing her move away from the bad memories and hearing her speaking so fondly about her family made Naruto smile; for it showed that his new friend was going to be okay. She had been through a traumatic experience that would no doubt leave some scars, but he would be there to help her move past them.

As for Tionishia, she was happy to have Naruto around. They could've been sitting quietly, and she wouldn't have cared so long as they were together. He was the nicest and bravest boy she had ever met, and she would be forever grateful to him for rescuing her.

Unknown to her at the time, she had already placed Naruto inside a special part of her heart; one that she would forever cherish.

Currently, the Oni was seated on a stump as she watched Naruto study a scroll on a fire jutsu. She had taken a gander at it and was shocked at the power described for the technique; comparing it to a forest fire that you could direct. It was a frightening jutsu for sure.

Thankfully, Naruto wasn't going to be making any attempts with the jutsu for a while. The scroll had given steps for him to follow so that he could understand how fire jutsu worked. The first step was taking a leaf, or anything flammable, and igniting it with his chakra. This was to help him train in changing the nature of his chakra from a neutral state to Fire Style.

"It says that you might find this more difficult if you aren't naturally attuned to fire, Naruto-kun," Tionishia informed him as she studied his scroll.

"What does that mean?" he asked in confusion.

"I don't know," she replied. "I'm as new to this as you are."

They both turned to Bee, who was off to the side jotting something in his notebook. He would do that on occasion, and they would wonder what the book held. "Yo, sensei!"

Hearing Naruto call him, Bee looked up from his notebook and replied, "Sup, Lil Nine?"

"What does it mean to be naturally attuned to fire?" he asked, gesturing to Tionishia who held up the scroll for their teacher to read.

Bee got up and walked over to her, looking over the notes written down in the scroll for what his fellow Jinchūriki was asking about. "Oh, that. You see, everyone has a natural affinity, or calling, for a certain nature of chakra. For example, I'm attuned to Lightning Style. What this means is that lightning based jutsu will be easier for me to learn compared to the other four elements."

"What are the others, sensei?" Tionishia asked.

"The others are fire, wind, water, and earth. What the scroll is saying is that you'll have more trouble learning it if you aren't naturally fire based."

"Then…how do we know what element we lean towards?" Naruto questioned.

"There are these slips called Chakra Paper that tell you what element you are best suited for. However, that doesn't mean that you can't use the other elements. It just means it'll be harder for you to do so."

Naruto hummed in thought while Tionishia rolled up the scroll and grabbed a fallen leaf. While her friend would train with fire, she planned to keep training her control. She wanted it to be the best it could so that, in the future, she could help Naruto.

All she needed to do was keep practicing.

* * *

"What the hell…?" Akiko gasped out, slowly moving through the ruins of a mountain village. The homes had been ransacked and burnt down, and it was practically a ghost town.

"The kid's scent is mixed with two others here," her summon informed her, sniffing the ground. "One of them is distinctly female."

"Female?" Akiko repeated.

"Yes. Their scent started back at that campsite that was attacked."

Akiko looked surprised at that. If Naruto was with Killer Bee, then who was the new scent? Did they have anything to do with the destroyed cage back at that camp? Were they some captive that had been rescued by Naruto and Killer Bee?

"Which way did they go, Ren?"

The dragon, Ren, sniffed around some more before he perked up and took off to the other side of the ruined village. Akiko was quick to follow, hoping that she was getting closer to Naruto.

* * *

Naruto was sweating slightly as he ran laps around a clearing Bee declared would be their campsite for the night. The Cloud Jonin had informed him and Tionishia that chakra was a mix of physical and spiritual energies. The physical aspect took its title literally, and it improved with physical fitness and training. The spiritual was centered around mental training; things like studying or meditation.

So, while Naruto did physical training, Tionishia was looking over some of the scrolls and books Naruto had taken from that old bunker. She needed a better understanding of chakra and what it could do. Something that peaked her curiosity was how chakra could augment one's body and muscles, giving them extra power.

She knew her race of Monster was famous for their raw power. If she could use her chakra to _enhance_ that power? A small shiver of excitement went down her spine, and she eagerly went back to studying the scroll.

Another hour passed, and the two young blondes were seen resting in a tent, sleeping in separate bedrolls. What made Bee chuckle was how Tionishia had placed her bedroll so close to Naruto's, showing the man just how fondly she thought of the young Uzumaki.

 _ **"** **To think that Monsters actually existed… The world still holds many secrets to uncover."**_

 _'I think Lil Nine will be the one to find them. He's got the heart for it, and it's a gem.'_

 _ **"** **I'm inclined to agree with you, partner,"**_ Gyūki replied with a chuckle. _**"I think those two might be the bridge needed for Humans, Monsters, and Bijuu to live together harmoniously."**_

 _'That's a lot of pride I hear, yo. How do you think he'll handle my bro?'_

" _ **It's not that hard to guess. The boy's got his heart worn on his sleeve, and your brother is more militaristic, despite his emotional outbursts. They'll be butting heads quite a bit, I figure."**_

' _Yeah, I can see that going down. Though, hearing the Uzumaki name will make bro frown.'_

 _ **"** **That's true. So, what's the plan? Are you going to keep leading them to the village where they may be captured and locked away? Or are you going to keep them out of sight and risk being a traitor?"**_

 _'Both choices are hard to decide… But those kids being mistreated is something I won't let slide.'_ He smiled fondly at Naruto and Tionishia, knowing that the two younger blondes had already grown on him. _'I'll stick around a little while longer, helping them grow and keep getting stronger. The kid's got a dream, the girl's on his team, and together they're more than they seem.'_

 _ **"** **Glad to hear it, Bee,"**_ Gyūki declared, mentally thinking how the young Uzumaki could be the one the Old Sage told him and his siblings about.

* * *

Akiko was staying on the trail, ignoring the small settlement in favor of decreasing the distance between herself and Naruto. Ren was perched on her shoulder, helping her stay out of sight yet still on track.

"The scents are getting stronger, Akiko," he informed her, noting how she was showing signs of exhaustion. "You sure you don't want to rest? You'll need all your strength if you're gonna be fighting a Jinchūriki."

Akiko said nothing, silently leaping through trees as she kept to the trail.

"Look…I understand that this Naruto kid means a lot to you, but you won't do him or yourself any good if you reach him just in time to keel over."

"Ren," Akiko cut in. "Please, just…"

He sighed and nodded. "I hear ya… Just try not to kill yourself over this. You're my partner."

"And you're mine, Ren. I appreciate the concern, though." She gave her friend a smile before she caught a dim light in the distance; only visible because of the darkness of the night. She slowed to a stop when she was about half a mile away from it. "Ren, do you smell Naruto over by that fire?"

The dragon sniffed the air for a moment before he nodded. "His scent is strong in that direction. What are you going to do?"

Akiko took a breath and settled herself onto a large branch with a good vantage point. "Do you mind keeping watch while I rest? You're right about me needing my strength."

"Of course. Get some sleep, Akiko. I'll wake you in a few hours."

She smiled and patted his head. "Thank you, my friend."

* * *

Killer Bee woke up after a few hours' rest, Gyūki having roused him when he sensed a faint chakra in the distance. The Jinchūriki made no visual signs that he was aware of the unknown scout, instead starting another fire and grabbing one of the leftover fish he had caught the night before.

He had two fish cooking and settled himself on a fallen log before he called out, "You hungry?"

Some rustling was heard before he saw a young woman with brown hair and green eyes, dressed in Leaf ANBU gear with a Dragon mask clipped to her belt. "Killer Bee of the Hidden Cloud, I presume?"

"I usually go by Lord Killer Bee, but I'm not that arrogant, see? You sure traveled far, but I don't know who you are."

She gave him a stiff bow, keeping her eyes on him in case he tried anything. "I am Akiko Suzuki, formerly of the Hidden Leaf. I'm searching for someone that I care for, and I left the village when they refused to keep looking for him."

Bee hummed in thought, deciding not to drag out the situation with his rapping. "You here for Lil Nine, then?"

Her heart stopped briefly. "…Yes, I'm here for Naruto." Her eyes flicked to the tent. "He's resting?"

Nodding, Killer Bee offered her one of the cooked fish, which she hesitantly took. "I met Lil Nine back in Otafuku Gai, and I offered to help him out. I take it he wasn't treated well back in the Leaf?"

Sitting down, Akiko shook her head sadly. "No… He was shunned and hated for what he carried, for what Lord Fourth sealed into him. The villagers never cared that their hero was the one who sealed the fox. All they saw was the fox taking the form of a little boy." She stared at the fire, absently taking a bite of the fish. "I wanted to take him in, but I was still an ANBU and the best I could do was watch him from the shadows. In a village of thousands, he only had two people that showed genuine care for him."

Bee was silent as she spoke, eating his own fish and listening intently as she told him of Naruto's past.

"I knew his parents," she continued. "I was apprenticed to his mother and I wanted nothing more than to keep him safe; to make him happy." Looking up from the fire, she turned back to him and asked, "Where were you going to take him?"

"The plan was to search the mountain regions of the Land of Lightning."

"Search for what?" she questioned in confusion.

"We're going to look for Oni."

She blinked at that, taken aback. "…Oni? You mean…like from faery tales?"

He chuckled at that, standing up to move over to the tent flaps. Pulling one of them open, he allowed her to see the sleeping blondes. He saw her green eyes lock onto the spiky hair of Naruto, softening considerably and even watering at the sight of him.

"Naruto-kun…" she whispered, one of her tears falling. She then looked to the girl, spotting the horn that was naturally extending from her forehead. "She's an Oni?"

The surprise in her voice made him chuckle again as he closed the flap and sat back down. "I never knew that Monsters existed until I met Lil Nine. He found a book on them in some old bunker."

"That was more than just a bunker," she informed him. "It was an abandoned lab of Orochimaru's."

"The White Snake? Damn, does the kid have devilish luck. He helped me win some money in cards when I first met him. Got a Royal Straight Flush on his first try."

"What else did he find in that lab?" Akiko asked, taking another bite of her fish.

"A couple of relics that belonged to Madara Uchiha…"

* * *

The following morning, Naruto gently shook Tionishia awake and she greeted him with a sleepy smile. "Good morning, Naruto-kun."

"Morning, Tio-chan. You want the tent?" he asked her, offering her the chance to dress in private.

"Yes, please. Thank you," she answered as he left the tent, stopping at the entrance and looking outside. "Naruto-kun?"

She stood up and moved over to him, standing beside him and looking to the unknown woman that was sitting on the other side of their small fire. She was smiling warmly at Naruto, and Tionishia saw that her eyes were growing misty.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked curiously, his head tilted slightly as Tionishia moved a bit behind him.

Green eyes stared tenderly into blue as the woman answered, "I'm someone who knew your mother, Naruto-kun. My name is Akiko."

* * *

 **And done.**

 **Short, I know; but I wanted to get to Akiko reaching Naruto.**

 **I promise that next chapter will be longer and will finally have another Monster Girl!**

 **I hope to see some nice reviews and that you all have a good holiday!**

 **Until next time!**

 _ **~pain17ification~**_


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